TGS: Unfortunate Truth
by fear2breathe
Summary: Henry survived. And there's quite an adventure in store.. (this story also involves a character from "Supernatural" tv series.)
1. A Meeting

_**Author's Note:**_ _Let's say Henry never died after that fall. Yes, I know what you're thinking, "Are you crazy? There's no way he could have survived." Over the years, I've been drawn to write many fanfics of "The Good Son" and they are all scenarios of how I think Henry would be and the twisted things he would do if he had survived. I am aware it would've been impossible, but I enjoy the 'what if' ;)_

_Mark and Henry are in their late 20s here and are the main focus of this one, which is why Susan, Wallace, and Jack are not in it. You'll find out about Connie later._

* * *

Jennifer Narz, a young brunette woman, 23 years of age, is walking alongside a road one afternoon when Mark Evans, on his way to visit Richard Evans' grave, drives by but then decides to pull over and back up until he reaches her.

"Excuse me miss..." He began, and Jen paused to see what he needed, "..I'm a bit lost. I was wondering if you could give me some directions to Raulin Cemetery? I'm supposed to be at a memorial for Richard Evans and I don't want to be late."

Jen's jaw dropped at the mention of that name, "Richard..Evans..? How did you know him?" Mark stared at her for a moment, wondering why this woman suddenly seemed so uneasy, "Well.. he was my little cousin.. murdered when he was just a baby."

"Huh? Murdered..?" Jen repeated, seeming even more shocked now, "Wh.. murdered?!"

Noticing her increased anxiety, Mark turned off his truck engine and was ready to assist. He did have a caring heart, after all. "Yeah.. he had this psycho older brother who drowned him in a bath tub, out of jealousy." Mark explained.

Jen was very confused and seemed a bit out-of-it now as she stepped back and spoke in a low voice as if talking to herself, but Mark would still hear the name, "Henry..?"

Mark went wide-eyed at that, "What?!"

Snapping back to reality suddenly, Jen shook her head, "N-Nothing. I'm sorry.. I'm not sure how to get to that cemetery." Immediately following the last word, she turned and took off running into the forest.

"Hey! Wait!" Mark shouted, shoving his keys into his pants pocket and got out of the vehicle to chase after her, "Miss! Stop!" When Jen had noticed him chasing and gaining on her, she grabbed a branch that lay nearby on the ground. It wasn't too heavy, but still looked like it could do some damage if she needed to defend herself. She spun around to face him as he closed in, "Who are you, and WHY are you telling lies about Henry Evans?!"

Her voiced was raised in anger and she held the branch up in a threatening manner. Mark froze and raised his hands up in front of him, "Whoa! Hold on.. nothing I've said is a lie! How did you know Henry..?" She lowered the branch, but only slightly as she kept her eyes on him, hesitant and out of breath now as she answered, "I'm...his...girlfriend."

Mark's eyes widen and jaw drops in shock, "His girlfriend?! Are you tell me that PSYCHOTIC FUCK is alive?!" As he begins to step forward toward her once more, Jen panics and swings the branch, striking Mark across the face, "Stay back!"

Mark stumbled just a bit, now holding one hand over the spot he was hit. "Calm down, I'd just like to know how he's alive after the fall 15 years ago."

Jen looked clueless, "Fall? What are you talking about?"

He sighed, "So he doesn't talk about the past. No surprise there. Playing more games with people. Okay.. 15 years ago, he had a fall from a cliff. So high up, he should NOT have survived. Listen to me.. you're in a lot of danger with him. He's VERY cold-hearted and a killer! He plays mind games with people and gets off on it." There was warning in his tone, as well as concern. Mark did not want someone else to get hurt.

Jen lowered the branch again, "Stop lying. For as long as I've been with him, he's been friendly and kind to me." Again, Mark sighed, "That is what he does.. he tricks people into believing he's innocent and harmless!"

Shaking her head, Jen sighed, "You need to back off, okay? I'm not going to stand here and listen to someone I don't even know spew lies and slander about my boyfriend. Go away!"

Mark sighed, defeatedly, and nodded, but he wasn't going to give up completely. "Okay, I'll go back to my truck and let you be on your way, but please... is there a way I can reach you? I'm concerned about your safety."

"GET. LOST." Jen glared.

"Can I at least know your name?" Mark added, desperate to get any piece of information.

"Fine! It's Jen. Now PLEASE just GO."

Mark nodded a small smile on his lips as he turned away and spoke one last time, "I'm Mark. Just be careful, okay? And on the look-out." With that, he headed back to his truck without waiting to see if she'd respond anymore.

Once more, Jen sighed and looked so very annoyed as she dropped the branch and headed in the direction she was originally going, toward a cabin she shared with Henry. Only this time, she stayed in the woods as she walked.

Mark did glance back and notice this. Perhaps he would drive up the road a little ways and watch from a distance. No way in hell was he going to let someone else get hurt

Henry was DANGEROUS.

And in the distance, unbeknownst to Mark and Jen, he had been watching.


	2. Panic

After about a half hour of walking, Jen finally made it back to the cabin she was living in. It was small, but a beautiful dark brown color and secluded. Once inside, she closed the door behind her and sighed as Mark's words were now repeating in her mind. But why? Should she really heed a warning from a stranger? Jen shook her head and headed toward the living room, but it was quiet. In fact, there didn't seem to be a single noise anywhere throughout the cabin.

"Henry?" Jen spoke out, as she headed for the stairs. "Up here, babe. Come join me." His voice would respond from the bedroom upstairs. She smiled and went to meet him, stepping inside the room, but he was nowhere in sight. After a couple more steps in, the door slammed shut behind Jen, causing her to jump a bit and spin around. Henry stepped in the way of the door, meeting her startled expression with his angry one.

"Henry. What's up?" She asked him, a bit more startled by the look on his face, but she remained as calm as possible.

"Jen…" Henry began, pausing as he took two steps toward her, "..that man you were talking to in the woods earlier… his name was Mark, wasn't it?"

For the moment, Jen was speechless, wondering where he was to have witnessed all of that. "Well, yeah… he kept saying this crap and wouldn't leave me alone."

Henry nodded, "I did notice you ready to defend yourself. What did you tell him to make him so insistent on following you though? Did the fact that we're together slip out of your mouth?" During this, he had stepped forward more and Jen would step back until he now had her backed against a wall, each of his hands up and resting on either side of her.

Jen stood silent, confused by this behavior as Mark's warnings again echoed in her head. Could it be possible he had been right? It sure looked like it. Henry did currently scare her. Finally, she nodded in response to his question, "It did Henry, I'm sor-."

Before she could finish though, one of Henry's hands had come away from the wall and across Jen's face in a slap. She had winced, her face still turned in shock and she was pretty stunned now. After a moment, she looked back at Henry again, her tone now a whisper and fearful, "I'm sorry."

Henry shook his head, his blue eyes glaring angrily into her dark brown ones. "You just couldn't keep your mouth shut, huh?! I bet you even know about the past too."

Jen immediately shook her head, "No… I don't know anything." But Henry just grinned, knowing her response was only because she didn't want to get hurt. "You do. So you know how dangerous I can be. Don't think that because it was so long ago that it's over. It's not…" He paused to lean his face in closer to hers, "I won't hesitate to make you next, _babe_."

Jen just nodded.

Henry glanced out the window as if he was expecting someone, but no one was out there, "I think we have some time. Undress." He commanded, looking back to her again.

Jen blinked, staring back at Henry and not knowing what to say. She didn't want to go through with this, but what could she do? He had her trapped here and now…oh no.

"Henry, I…" She began, but he was quick to cut her off.

"**NOW**." Henry again commanded. The volume and tone made Jen flinch.

She nodded as she undid her pants, "Alright…"

Henry took his hands off the wall so she'd have an easier time undressing, but his gaze never left her. He then stripped himself and shoved Jen onto the bed, quickly pinning her as well. "Don't we need…" Jen had began, but Henry cut her off with his mouth against hers, kissing her deep as he then roughly began.

Mark had spotted the cabin from afar and parked out of sight before making his way toward the door.


	3. Cruel Silence

In Henry's mind, there'd be no danger if Mark did show up. Even if Mark had a gun, he knew that it would not be fired due to the risk of hitting Jen. And yes, his cousin would soon be arriving. Henry knew this, because Jen had a bad habit of never locking the door behind her. A devious grin appeared on Henry's lips. He truly hoped for Mark to show up and see this.

Before entering, Mark pulled out a gun from his back pocket and slowly continued inside, making sure to be as quiet as possible. He could hear some noises from up the stairs as he carefully made his way up them, stalkish, like an animal sneaking upon its prey. Extending a hand, he reaches out and grabs the bedroom doorknob, turning it softly to crack the door open and peer inside.

His stomach then turned! Not only at the sight of Henry, but at the fact that Jen was in there with him –screwing him- even after Mark had tried to warn her. Shaking his head, Mark felt both disgusted and disappointed. He considered shooting Henry right there, but no, the shot could hit Jen. He pulled the door shut again. Luckily it was silent.

With a sigh, Mark made his way back out and decided to come and try another time. He currently needed to clear his head and do some thinking anyway.

After some time had passed and Henry was finished, he quietly slipped on his clothes and shoes as Jen sat up on the bed and watched him a bit, also quietly. He only gave her a quick glance of disgust before stepping out of the room and out the back door of the cabin.

Jen sighed. Getting up from the bed, she slipped some clothes on and headed for the refrigerator where a bottle of Long Island Iced Tea sat on the top shelf. Her mind was spinning and she felt so out of touch after what had just happened. She needed something. Anything.

Grabbing the bottle, she took a couple swigs and exited out the front door, bringing the liquor with her. She headed out into the woods. She didn't care. Every minute or so, she would take another big drink from the bottle and it seemed to start taking effect quickly.

After twisting the cap back on, her foot suddenly caught a root and she fell forward to the ground, letting the bottle drop and roll so that she could catch herself on her hands. The liquor bottle was plastic, so it did not shatter. 

In the distance behind her, Mark was just hanging out. He never completely left, he just wandered around and did some contemplating on what to do. Suddenly, he had heard something. Jen's fall was not too loud, but made just enough noise to catch his attention. When he saw that it was her, he sighed and stared for the moment. Should he confront her? That scene he caught flashed in his mind again, and once more, he felt his stomach turn. But why exactly? Was it really disappointment? Why did it seem to matter so much? Mark took a deep breath.

Instead of trying to pick herself back up, Jen crawled along the ground until she was within reach of the bottle. Grabbing it up, she then got to her feet but would stumble backwards a bit. Two hands were there catch her by the arms, but this startled Jen as she feared it to be Henry. Gasping, she jolted forward, spinning to face the person, but also immediately falling onto her butt.


	4. Inebriation

A sigh of relief escaped Jen's lips when she looked up to see that the person behind her had been Mark, not Henry. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." he apologized, reaching a hand out to help her stand up again.

Jen paused for a moment before reaching out to take his offered hand and stand back up. Once she was up, Mark's eyes moved to look down at the bottle, "Why are you wandering around in this drunken stupor?"

"Fuck you!" Jen spat back.

Sighing, Mark shook his head, "I guess I thought things were fine and happy with you. I mean… well… according to what I had seen in there."

"..what?" Jen mumbled at first, but Mark had turned his back to her now and began to walk away.

"I'm out of here. Maybe I'll see you again once you've slept everything off." There was such annoyance in Mark's voice. He didn't want to deal with some drunk right now. More important matters were present, like figuring out what to do about Henry.

Jen was FUMING at the fact that Mark had come into the home and spied on them during what occurred, "Who the HELL do you think you are?!" She screamed, whipping the plastic bottle at Mark. It was a successful shot, striking him in the back of his head.

He paused in shock.

"WHAT IN THE HELL GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO WALTZ INTO MY HOME AND-." Jen had begun yelling at him, but tripped and fell forward to the ground.

Displeased with the attack, Mark turned and made his way to her, glaring.

Instead of offering a hand this time, he reached down and grabbed her arm and shirt, lifting her up to her feet but then slamming her back against a tree, holding her there. Jen struggled angrily, "Let go of me!"

But Mark held on tighter, "For your information, I was going to shoot Henry but I didn't because I risked hitting you! So chill the fuck out!" With that, he flung Jen back to the ground and turned to walk away again.

Jen rolled onto her hands and knees, breaking down into tears now, "You should have. You should have gone ahead and killed us both…" Again, Mark paused, "Don't be ridiculous, I couldn't do that."

Looking up at him with teary eyes, Jen shook her head, "You don't know what you really saw back there…" Silent in thought for a moment, Mark then turned back to face her again, "What do you mean?"

Jen hung her head, shaking it and sobbing more.

But Mark wasn't stupid.

It suddenly clicked, what Henry had done to her, "Shit…"

He sighed, feeling sympathetic, and walked back to her again, kneeling down to be eye-level with her, "Hey, I'm sorry..." his voice now soft, "I wish I had known. I could have done more…"

Jen had started to shiver and Mark put his hands gently on her shoulders, "Calm down. I know it's hard to, but you're going to be okay now. You need to come with me. I can't let him hurt you again… please, you can trust me." After slight hesitation, Jen finally nodded, saying nothing.

Helping her up, he then gently put an arm around her to help lead her to his truck. "My truck's not too far away. You can stay at my place. Henry doesn't know where it is." Jen nodded, "I'd like to grab a few things. He's not home. He left after…"

Mark nodded, noticing her uncomfortable pause, "Alright, but I'm coming with you though." She nodded as well.

Once they were inside, Mark followed Jen around as she gathered some belongings and clothes, even helping her put them in a suitcase. "Listen… I'm sorry about how I behaved back there. It was uncalled for, especially after circumstances…" Mark apologized, sounding a bit disappointed in himself. Jen shook her head as she stuffed two shirts into the suitcase, "Don't worry about it. I shouldn't have hit you in the head with that bottle."

Mark grinned, "Well… it was a pretty good shot."

Jen paused, looking up to meet his grin, which then made her laugh, "Well… thanks, I guess." Mark smiled, glad to have made her laugh.

"I think I'm all done." Jen said, closing the suitcase. Mark nodded and grabbed it, carrying it for her as he followed Jen back down the stairs.

They didn't even hear Henry come back into the cabin 2 minutes ago and grab one of the iron bars that sat by the fireplace…


	5. Confrontation

Henry was waiting around a corner at the bottom of the staircase as Mark and Jen came down. As soon as one of Jen's feet hit the floor, Henry swung the bar out and it struck her cheek, knocking her aside to the floor and feeling dazed but still conscious. It was then swung at Mark but he blocked it with the suitcase and rounded the corner to deal with Henry.

A sinister smirk now upon Henry's lips, he looked at his cousin, "Good to see you again, Cuz." Mark glared back, dangerously, "I'd love to know how the FUCK you are still alive. The fall should've killed you. But I guess it doesn't really matter, does it? Your shit ends NOW."

Jen had finally pulled herself together and rounded the corner, standing behind Mark.

"Oh, hello love." Henry grinned. Jen glared.

"DON'T call her that… not after what you did to her!" Mark responded angrily. Jen was taken aback at how full of hatred Mark sounded.

"Ah, yes. Caught some of the show, huh? I knew you would come…" Henry's gazed moved to Jen for the final words, "…no pun intended."

Jen then leaned herself against a wall suddenly, breathing heavily.

Mark pulled the keys from his pocket and handed them over to Jen, "Jen, take the truck and get out of here." But Henry grinned, shaking his head, "I doubt that'd be possible, right Jen?"

Jen had now slid down to a sitting position against the wall, still breathing heavily, and Mark went to her side, "Jen?! What the hell did you do to her?!"

Henry just smiled, "I was wondering when it would kick in. Did you enjoy your little drinking binge, darling? You know, some things don't mix well with alcohol."

Upon hearing that, Jen acted quickly and stuck a finger in her throat in order to throw up whatever he had done. Mark patted her back. Henry sighed, "Oh you party-pooper."

Jen looked up at Henry, her eyes and expression full of hatred, "Fuck you!"

"Again?" Henry laugh, "Maybe. If that's really what you want, dear."

This set Mark off and he jumped from Jen's side, rushing in at Henry, who laughed and grabbed him as he was almost tackled. He swung Mark as hard as he could and let go, sending him slamming against an opposite wall. Mark slid down into a sitting position against it, not unconscious, but dazed.

Turning back toward Jen, the iron bar still in hand, Henry began to approach her and she got up to her feet as quickly as she could. When he swung it at her, she managed to grab hold and struggled to pull it from his grasp. "You think you're stronger? That's cute, darling." Henry chuckled. Jen glared, still attempting to pull it free. Yanking it toward himself, Henry then kneed Jen in the stomach as she was pulled to him. This loosened her grip as she doubled-over a bit, and Henry took the opportunity to break her hold and slam the bar down on her back, sending her to her hands and knees.

He raised the bar again, ready for another strike on her, but Mark suddenly tackled Henry from behind before he could hit her again. Falling over Jen, they fought on the floor. During the scuffle, Mark shouted out, "Jen! The truck! Go..!"

At first, she was hesitant, not wanting to leave him to deal with Henry alone, but she finally obeyed and grabbed the suitcase as she rushed out the door. Her free hand reached to pull the keys from her pocket and she threw her suitcase in the back as she jumped into the truck as fast as she could and started the ignition.

But once she cut the headlights on, she gasped.

There, standing in her path, was Henry.

He stood frozen, the iron bar in one hand as he glared hatefully at her. Jen's eyes narrowed and she put the truck in drive, speeding forward. Henry grinned, jumping on the hood and holding on with his free hand as he repeatedly slammed the bar against the windshield, wanting to bust it.

Jen slammed on the breaks, which sent Henry flying and to the ground a few feet away. She put the truck in park and paused, waiting to see if Henry was still conscious. After a couple minutes of his body laying motionless on the ground, Jen exited the truck and ran back into the house, wanting to see if Mark was alright.

Once inside, she gasped.

Mark's body was laying still, on the floor through another doorway.


	6. Sinister Tease

"Mark?!" Jen cried out, rushing over to him and kneeling down to check his pulse. She breathed a sigh of relief soon after. There was a heartbeat. "Thank god. Mark? Wake up." She shook him just a bit, hoping he would come to, but nothing, "..please Mark… wake up." Glancing worriedly toward the exit, Jen wondered if she'd be able to get him out of there and into the truck before Henry woke. "Please." She lightly shook him once more, but still nothing, "..damn."

A creak sound was heard nearby and Jen glanced all around them, seeing nothing, but she *did* notice the other iron bar by the fireplace. She rose to her feet and went to grab it quickly, then headed back to Mark's side and kept watch of their surroundings.

Henry had recovered and chose to enter through the back, now standing watch for a moment in a doorway behind Jen before speaking up. "Jen, Jen, Jen…" He grinned, as Jen then spun around to face him, iron bar tightly in her grasp, "Wow, look at you now, trying to be brave and tough. It's so cute. Too bad you're still just pathetic little Jen…you'll never make anything of yourself.. BUT, I do have to give you credit for one thing you're good for. Mmm." With a wink, he grinned a sinister smirk.

Jen glared, but at the same time, felt frightened.

Henry was having fun now, getting off on these games. Sure, it had been a while, but he hadn't lost his touch and he was proud of himself. "Oh darling, why don't we have another go, hmm?" And now he had stepped forward, but not raising his iron bar yet.

"Back off!" Jen shouted, standing her ground and being protective of Mark even though she was scared. "Ooh, feisty. I love it. Why weren't you more like this the last time?" Henry teased.

"I don't understand, Henry… I don't understand why you have to be this way… why? We were together a year… and now this?" Jen spoke up, almost in a pleading manner. But Henry chuckled, "There's no one to blame but YOU, Jen. Everything… all of this right now, would probably never have had to happen… IF YOU HADN'T OPENED YOUR DAMN MOUTH and blabbed EVERYTHING about my existence!" His voice now screaming in response, before swinging his iron bar at a lamp on a nearby table, smashing it. Jen jumped in fear, but remained where she was.

"YOU, Jen. YOU." Henry glared, but was loving his intimidation. This was just too damn easy, why was he even holding a weapon? He scoffed, realizing he wasn't going to need it against her, "heh." He threw the iron bar to the floor and began to step forward toward Jen who was now panicking and stepping back as he approached, "Stay away from me, Henry!" But he just laughed, "Come on babe, show me what you've got."

Once Henry was within reach, Jen swung her iron bar out at his face, but he knew that was coming, so when she did it, he grabbed onto the bar with one hand before it touched him and swung his other fist at her face. It connected and Jen stumbled slightly but managed to keep her grip on the bar, pulling it closer to herself so that Henry would also be pulled in, and once he was, she took the opportunity to jerk her knee upward and into his groin. He shouted out in pain and doubled-over, losing his grip on the bar which then gave Jen her next opportunity. She struck Henry across the face with it, sending him to the floor. Making sure to remain aware of Henry, Jen went back over to Mark, "Mark, please! Wake up!"

"You bitch…" Henry spat, still trying to recover.

Jen looked back and watched Henry, "You deserve it! For earlier, you ASSHOLE!"

"Didn't see you resisting, babe. You know you loved it. It was good." He taunted.

"Shut up!" Jen screamed.

"Admit it, lover…" He grinned, watching her slowly fall apart, "You love what I do to you."

Jen shook her head and covered her ears now, "No. Stop!"

Mark had now begun to awaken during Henry's taunting.

Jen's eyes started to fill with tears and Henry was struggling to stand up straight, "Aw, don't cry babe. Let me make it better…" He stated as he took a couple steps toward her. "NO!" Jen screamed and stepped away, "No! Stay away from me damn it!" The memory plagued her. She didn't want to think of it, but Henry was doing his best to make sure it drove her crazy, "Deny it all you like, but you WANTED IT."

Mark pulled himself up to his feet now, having heard enough, "That's ENOUGH, Henry! I'm sick of your mind-game bullshit! It's fucked up that you STILL get off on it. You're going to back the hell off of Jen, and NOW!"

"Well. I detect feelings. Isn't that something." Henry responded with a shake of his head and glanced to Jen, "Whore." Her eyes narrowed, "Like you know any damn thing about feelings!"

Henry smiled, "Oh I do, or actually … DID. Trust me Jen, I felt for you AT FIRST. But then…then THIS. No more. You ruined it by opening your fucking mouth. I guess you could say YOU are the reason I've rediscovered my old self. Are you proud, dear?"

"Cut the bullshit Henry!" Mark screamed in anger, before Jen could get a word out, "I know you better than anyone. You've always been your 'old self', you just know how to hide it and fool everyone. I was there, remember?!" He took a pause as a memory popped back into his head. It was the night Henry led him to believe he had poisoned the family's food and Susan had come to stop Mark from destroying it all. "You had made ME look like the crazy one when I was just trying to stop you from hurting everyone! And if you ever TRULY loved this girl right here, you NEVER would have raped her!"

Henry smirked, "You're right…" his gaze then moving to Jen once more as he shrugged his shoulders, "I never loved you Jen. In fact, I can't stand you. You were just so easily gullible. It was cute and fun…"

Jen looked so broken, "But we… I thought… at first…"

Henry shook his head, "NEVER… and you know what? I'll catch you two again soon…" Grabbing up his iron bar from the floor, he then threw it across the room and into the electricity control box on a wall. As it busted open, sparks flew out and the lights flickered a few times before dying completely, leaving them in pitch-black darkness. Henry had made his escape… for now.


	7. Mark's Place

Reaching out to grab Jen's hand, Mark then led her through the pitch-black darkness and toward the door, "Come on."

When they reached the truck, Mark opened the door for her to get in and then went around to get in and drive them off as quickly as possible. Jen handed over the keys, looking him over a bit, worried about his condition, "Are you alright enough to drive? It looked like Henry really hurt you."

"I'm fine, don't worry. I'm going to get you to my place now." Mark responded with a nod, starting up the truck and getting them out of there.

Ten minutes later, they turned onto a driveway from off of a back road. Mark's home was pretty secluded. It was a small brown, brick house lit up just a tiny bit because he had left his porch light on. It seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. There were no neighboring houses, just trees. "This it is. You'll be safe here with me, Henry doesn't know about it." Mark assured Jen, but her only response was a small nod.  
Once they exited the truck, Mark grabbed Jen's suitcase and carried it for her as they entered the home, "I have a guestroom. You can unpack in there, or I can help you." But Jen shook her head, "It's fine, thank you. I can handle it."

She was a bit distant and distraught, Mark could tell, "Okay... well that's it right there, if you want to go ahead." He pointed to a door on the right. Nodding, Jen grabbed her suitcase and head toward the guestroom. Mark spoke up again, "Jen…"  
She paused, looking back at him from over her shoulder.

"It's gonna' be okay. We'll get through this." He tried to assure her, wanting to be of comfort since he knew Henry's assault was bothering her. Again, Jen merely nodded and then entered the room to begin unpacking. Mark sighed, knowing that she would be suffering for a while.

After unpacking just a few small things, Jen flopped onto the bed in a sitting position, silent in thought as her mind raced with what had happened plus some of Henry's words echoing: 'You're still just pathetic little Jen.' … 'YOU, Jen. YOU.' … 'Didn't see you resisting, babe' … 'You were just so easily gullible'

Feeling like she might cry, Jen covered her face with her hands.

Mark approached the door, "Hey Jen, I'm going to start making us some dinner. Are you…" but he paused, noticing how she currently was, "..hey, are you alright?". His tone was soft and kind. Uncovering her face, Jen nodded, wanting to be strong and act like nothing was wrong, "Yeah, I'm fine."  
"Can I come in..?" Mark asked, softly.  
"Sure…" Jen nodded again.

Mark sighed and walked in, taking a seat gently down next to her, but Jen's eyes wouldn't meet his.  
She stared to the side, at a wall.

"Listen Jen…" He began, his voice gentle and comforting, "We're going to get through this. And Henry will pay, trust me…" Jen nodded once more, "I think I'd like to take a nap. You can go ahead and still cook."  
Mark stood, nodding before heading out the door again, "I'm right out here. And you're safe. Let me know if you need anything before I come get you for dinner." He pulled the door shut behind him, but left it open in a crack.

Jen flopped back onto the bed, quickly drifting off to sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. It was as if she had been awake for days, though she hadn't. It was all her stress and emotions draining her physically. A rest was just what she needed, however, it would not come pleasantly. The same echoing words from Henry repeated themselves, as well as being followed by the nightmare of his assault. Jen began to toss and turn, crying out as well, "NO!"

Mark had been in the kitchen, carrying some utensils toward the table when he heard her scream. He let them drop to the floor in the rush to her room and felt relief when he saw she was only dreaming. Leaning over her on the bed, he shook her lightly, "Jen. It's okay, wake up."

Jen's eyes shot open and she gasped, not fully awake enough or aware of her surroundings. Before she could get focused and control herself, she swung a fist and struck Mark in the face, sending him to the floor. Still freaking out and hyperventilating, she ended up rolling herself right off the other side of the bed. Mark got up and quickly rushed to her side, trying to calm her, "Hey, hey… it's alright Jen. It's just me. Mark."

"God… I'm so sorry Mark. I thought you were…" Jen began, but he stopped her, "I know…I understand."

She shook her head, "Still… that was horrible, I should have waited until I was more awake. I just… had a nightmare…" She apologized. Mark understood and nodded, "Hey, it's okay. I know… I understand." He then extended a hand to help her up and she took it.

As the doorbell rang out suddenly, Jen gasped. Mark smiled, "Don't worry, that's just dinner. I decided to order out from a local Italian restaurant. Chicken alfredo pasta with a side of broccoli and cauliflower. It's great, I've had it before. And I have some sodas, beer, and even a bottle of wine I think."

Jen chuckled nervously, "I wouldn't say no to a drink right now. And the food sounds wonderful, thank you."  
Mark smiled again, "Drinks are sitting on the kitchen counter, you go ahead and pick out what you'd like while I get the door." Jen entered the kitchen and chose to grab a beer before sitting down at the table and waiting for Mark to set up the food.

The dinner was a mostly quiet one. Mark had stated to Jen that if she felt the need to talk, she was free to if she wanted. He didn't want her to hold everything in. Jen only shook her head, drinking down her beer faster than usual and remaining quiet.

Mark sighed, worrying about her refusal to let things out and her sudden strong love of drinking, because after downing that beer, she began a second one. In addition, Jen had maybe only three or four bites of food before stating she was done and not feeling well.  
He just nodded and responded softly, "Okay."

Jen excused herself, taking the unfinished second beer along with her to her room.


	8. Haunted

After the encounter with Mark and Jen, Henry decided this was going to take some serious plotting, even for him. As much as he hated to sit back and let them get away, he knew success came best after careful consideration.

"His favorite place to go is one from his younger days: that tunnel beneath a roadway that both he and Mark his in when they heard police racing to the accident caused by "Mr. Highway" being dropped. Leaning against the concrete wall, Henry smirked, "You think you're free now Mark… but you're wrong. DEAD wrong. Both of you are."

The voice of a child suddenly spoke up from the darkness of the tunnel, "it never fails…"

Henry growled in response. That voice. He knew it well because it doesn't leave him alone. "I swear… fuck off you little BRAT!" Henry had yelled as a figure seemed to step forward.

The young male figure was about half Henry's height and resembled him quite a bit. He looked to be around the age of ten of eleven and, with a smile on his face, he spoke up again, "Good to see you too… brother."

Richard. The boys' image had been haunting Henry. Appearing as a child rather than an infant, because it was much easier to haunt and disturb with an ability to speak. "You're the one who's not 'free', Henry. All these stunts you pull are just a way for you to hide what you really are: the scared little boy inside, throwing a tantrum when he can't get his way…" Richard's image grinned.

Henry growled angrily once more, swinging a fist out at his little brother's image in an attempt to strike, but all that was there was air, and Richard had now vanished.

Frustrated, Henry now slammed his fist as hard as he could into the concrete wall of the tunnel, causing blood to seep out from his knuckles and skin, dripping to the ground. But Henry didn't even wince. Instead, he started to laugh pretty maniacally for a couple of minutes before it faded and he sighed deeply.

Looking around with a dangerous glare, Henry scoffed and shook his head before turning to leave, "You'll pay too, dear little brother. Mark my words, and just watch this…"


	9. Uh Oh

Things were surprisingly quiet to Mark and Jen for about a month – no sign of Henry at all. Seriously?! This bothered Mark. It was **_too_** strange. He knew Henry had to be up to something.  
Sure, Henry didn't know their whereabouts, but it was still just too odd.

7AM came one morning and Jen was awaken by an _**awful**_ sick feeling. She rushed out of bed, hoping that stepping out onto the porch for some air would calm the sudden nausea. Though she was still in her pajamas, she didn't care.

Mark was seated right there in the living room as she came out and he smiled to her, "Good morning, Jen." She only gave a weak smile and headed to the front door, "Just gonna' get some air…"

She stepped out onto the porch, but the cool, crisp air did nothing for her so she decided to leave the porch and take a little walk around the yard. _**Still**_ did not help.

Mark walked to the front door to watch and make sure Jen remained safe.

Staring at the ground as she walked, Jen's mind raced a bit.  
What was this? Had she caught some kind of bug?

She had hoped it was only that, but the fact that her cycle late too was worrisome, "oh please…" she whispered to herself, "please don't be what I think…"

As Jen headed for the front porch, she could've sworn the nausea was finally passing.  
Breathing a sigh of relief, she smiled. But once she had reached the bottom of the steps, there it came again and seemingly uncontrollable this time. Falling to her knees, Jen puked hard into the grass.

Noticing this, Mark stepped out and went to her side, rubbing a gentle hand over her back. Once she had calmed, he looked to her with concern, "Why don't we get dressed? I'll take you to a doctor-.." "No…" Jen spoke quickly, cutting him off, "I think I want to rest for a couple days, then see how I feel."

Mark nodded, "Okay, but if this gets any worse, I strongly suggest a doctor visit."

Jen nodded to him, but inside she was freaking out.  
Luckily, she stayed as calm as possible on the outside, not wanting Mark to know of her fear.

Jen remembered packing her personal kit.  
In it, she had a pregnancy test.

"I, I've got to use the restroom…" Almost in a rush, she got up and headed inside to her room, pulled the test out, and snuck it into the bathroom just as Mark had come back inside. He didn't see her carrying anything because she had slipped it into her pajama pants pocket.

"I'll make us some breakfast, but something light and easy on the stomach."  
Mark had called out to her as he now headed into the kitchen.

Minutes passed. The required time for her pregnancy test. It was time to look at it, but she hesitated at first, too afraid of the results. "Please, please, please…" She again whispered to herself, worried and about to panic. Very slowly, she reached out a hand to grab the test and force herself to look.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment as she stared with widened eyes at the results, it dropping from her hand soon after as she stood catatonic/frozen/paused in a moment of mixed emotions, each battling inside before she finally collapsed to the floor. Jen was now sitting, rocking herself back and forth in silence.


	10. Emotions

Twenty minutes passed.  
Mark had cooked up some soft-boiled eggs, but realized that Jen had not yet come out of the bathroom. He approached the door and knocked gently, "Jen? Are you alright?" Silence. "Jen?" He tried again, but still nothing. No responses.

A moment later, a tiny sobbing sound could be heard. "Jen, what's wrong? Please open up." Mark spoke gently, but also in a worried tone. She was still not answering or opening the door. "Jen please, I'm here." He assured her, but sighed and stepped away for a moment to find a way to open up the door. Mark didn't want to be invasive, but he knew he needed to get to her.

After grabbing a pair of scissors nearby, he opened them and inserted one of the ends into the door's lock-hole and jiggled it, "Hang in there Jen, it'll be alright." He spoke again, softly and reassuring.

After a couple of minutes, Mark again tried the handle and found that the door could now open. "I'm coming in…" He announced, wanting to give her notification before walking on in. There she sat on the floor, and staring down at it.

"Hey, I'm here…" Mark began, as he placed the scissors on the sink and kneeled down in front of her, "…what is it?" But it would then catch his eye. The test lay on the floor next to her. "…oh. Shit." He reached out and embraced her, "I'm here Jen…" And he paused once he felt Jen's arms raise and embrace him back, "you're going to be okay. I'm here for whatever you need, and whatever decision you want to make about this."

Gently brushing some hair away from her eyes, Mark looked to her, "Just say the word, and I'd take you to where we'd need to go for this. But whatever you decide, Jen, I'm going to be here."

This frustrated Jen a bit and her teary eyes now narrowed, "Don't feel obligated to me because of what your cousin did, Mark. It's not right! I don't want your pity!"

"Calm down. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, I'm just saying you won't have to deal with things alone." Standing up, he helped Jen to her feet as well and they exited the bathroom. With a sigh, Jen stormed off to her bedroom and let the door slam behind her.

Mark frowned. His anger on the inside about Henry was starting to eat away at him. Was this part of the asshole's plan? Knowing Henry and the games he loved to play, he wouldn't put it past him. This was truly **sick**. "What the hell are you up to, Henry?" Mark mumbled to himself before going to the door of Jen's bedroom, "Jen, there's some eggs ready in the kitchen if you'd like something to eat. I'm all out of orange juice, so I'm just going out for a minute to grab some. I swear I won't be long, okay?" But he was just met with more silence. As much as he hated to leave her completely alone, it seemed to be what she needed for now. Just a few minutes while he ran to a store wouldn't hurt. He had trouble believing that, but would repeat it to himself over and over: _The store's not far. Henry doesn't know this location. She'll be alright. I'll let her calm.  
_Three minutes later, he was out the door and heading for the store.

Jen began to pace around the room. Her mind was such a mess and now a mixture of emotions began to whirl inside of her intensely. Panic, anger, desperation, despair.  
She paused to place both hands on her head and closed her eyes, now balling her fists which each gripped hair. Her breathing grew heavy as a breakdown was building and coming forth. And, to make matters worse, she could once again hear the echo of Henry's words: _"…you are good for one thing…mmm.", "Didn't see you resisting, babe, you know you loved it..", "You love what I do to you..", "You were just so easily gullible.. it was cute and fun."_

That was it! The **breaking** point! In a sudden fit of rage, Jen's eyes flew open again and she let out a blood-curdling scream as she turned to a nightstand that stood by the bed and swooped an arm out across it, knocking everything on it, including a lamp, to the floor. "I **HATE** YOU!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, lifting the nightstand and launching it across the room into a mirror on the closet door. It shattered to pieces and she finally collapsed to the floor in a sitting position immediately after, weeping.


	11. Dangerous Thoughts

Half an hour had passed.  
Jen was now taking slow, deep breaths, having calmed a bit. On the outside, anyway. In her mind, was a different story. For now, the echo of Henry was gone… but replaced with a sense of hopelessness. It had to end. ALL of it. She did not want to live anymore.

Jen wanted everything over with, but quick and now. A blank, lifeless stare was now upon her face as she left the bedroom and wandered around the house, searching for anything she could use to make it immediate. Knives in the kitchen and cleansers in the bathroom would not be good enough.

Perhaps Mark's bedroom would hold the answer. She went in and quickly began to rummage through his dresser drawers, trying to feel beneath clothing for anything gun-like. Nothing in the top drawer. Same for the second one. But once she felt around in the third drawer, she breathed a sigh of relief. In the right corner of it, underneath two pairs of pants, was a small black handgun. And loaded.

Mark had just pulled up, exited his truck, and headed inside carrying a single plastic bag with an orange juice carton in it. Jen was so lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice or hear him enter the home.

Mark was about to call out for Jen until he noticed some movement going on in his bedroom. Quietly setting the bag down onto the couch, he tiptoed to the doorway just in time to see that it was Jen, who was now raising the gun up to her head. "Jen, **_NO_**!" He screamed in utter shock and fear.

Startled, Jen jumped a bit and spun around to face him, the gun now held out and pointed at him. "Whoa_…_" Mark responded and held up his hands, remaining calm, "Jen, put the gun down please. You're stronger than this."

Her head shook, "You don't understand! You don't understand what it's like! I can't- I can't live like this… hearing his voice in my head! Taunting me! Laughing about what he did…!"

Once again, she rose the gun to her head and Mark immediately rushed forward into the room a few more steps before freezing again, because Jen aimed at him once more, "Stay away, Mark! I **_have_** to do this…"

Tears streamed down her cheeks, simply because she was aiming a gun at Mark. She didn't want to be. She didn't want to hurt him. He'd been so kind and protective. It was just a scare tactic. She wanted to end **_her _**life and didn't want him to stop her.

"Jen, if you do this, you're letting Henry win. I have faith in you and I know you're stronger than him. Please, don't let him do this to you. You're right, okay? I don't know what it's like- the torment that you're going through… but I want to be here for you. We can deal- together. I want you here with me. Don't give in to his voice…" Mark tried, pleading and hopefully was reassuring enough to her.

Jen stared in silence, the gun now slowly lowering. At this, Mark began to step forward again, but slowly. Once he was in front of her, he reached out for the gun and found it easy to take away. Jen had let go as soon as he touched it. Mark let the bullets drop out of it to the floor and tossed the gun out the doorway, then pulling Jen into him for a firm, but caring embrace. She embraced back slowly, but still stood pretty stoic.

At that moment, Mark's cell phone began to ring from his pocket. He let go of Jen and gave her a smile before answering it. She gave a weak smile back.

"Hello?" Mark spoke, bringing the cell up to his ear.  
"Guess who." A voice on the other end teased.  
Sinister laughter followed.


	12. Bad News

**_Henry.  
_**Mark stared at Jen, not really sure whether or not he should respond. At the moment, she was clearly not emotionally stable, so he held up a finger as if saying to hold on for a second, and excused himself from the room. Once he was in the living room, he spoke up but kept a low tone, _"How the fuck did you get this number?"_

_"Oh Mark, I'm surprised at you. You underestimate me. I always have my ways. Just like I'll find my way to wherever you two are hiding and maybe even have some more fun with Jen before I destroy you... heh heh heh…"_

This **infuriated **Mark. He still managed to keep the low tone of voice, though it would be hard, _"You will __**NOT**__ touch her again!"_

Henry just laughed at him, loving that he was striking a nerve, _"Ooh, definitely some feelings there. You'll make such a cute couple before I stab your fucking guts out. And I will, mark my words. The hunt is on…" _and with that, a click. Henry had now hung up before giving Mark a chance to respond.

Mark sighed and swung a hand out, knocking a coaster on a nearby table off and it flew across the room.

_"That was him, wasn't it?" _Jen asked, now walking up behind him. She had come into the living room just in time to see what Mark had done, _"What did he say?"_

Mark opened his mouth to respond, but then decided against it and shook his head.

Suddenly, his phone began to ring once more and, with a sigh, he answered it, _"Hello?!"_ There was a pissed off expression on his face as he expected it to once again be Henry. However, he was met with a woman's voice, _"May I speak with Mark Evans?"  
_He felt some relief, glad to not be dealing with Henry again right now, _"Speaking."_

_"Mister Evans, my name is Vickie Walters. I'm with the Trinton Hotel on Smalls Avenue. I'm afraid there's been an accident."_

Mark's eyes grew wide, knowing his Aunt Susan, Uncle Wallace, and cousin Connie had all been on a relaxing mini-vacation and staying there, _"What kind of accident?! What happened?! Is everyone okay?!" _he panicked.

On the other end, Vickie was now silent for a moment, hating to be the bearer of bad news. _"I'm sorry Mister Evans… there's been a fire on the floor that Wallace, Susan, and Connie Evans were staying on. I'm afraid it's claimed nine lives, including them…"_

Mark went numb and at that moment, his cell phone slipped from his hand and dropped onto the floor. He collapsed to his hands and knees immediately after, an intense wave of emotion sweeping over him. _"No, no, no, no…" _he whispered , tears now leaking from his eyes.

_"Mark…" _Jen knelt down next to him and reached over to grab up the phone and finish the call for him, _"I'm sorry, is there a number he can best reach you at? He needs some time."_

_"Of course. And please tell him I'm so sorry for his loss…" _Vickie responded with sympathy and caring in her tone, then left a number for Mark to call back later. Jen entered it in his phone after hanging up.

_"Mark… what happened?" _Jen asked, gently placing a hand to his shoulder, _"talk to me."_

Taking a deep breath, Mark seemed to have to fight to get the words out, _"M-My Aunt, Uncle, and- and a cousin… they're dead…"_

Jen was speechless. What could she even say at a time like this anyway? Her hand on his shoulder changed to an arm around him, and he rested his head against her shoulder, trying to resist the urge to burst into immense sobbing.


	13. Who Are You?

Five minutes had passed and Mark lifted his head to look at Jen, and she turned her head to look back.  
"Jen..." He began, calmer for the moment, "Go on into the kitchen and get yourself some of the eggs I made. I'm going to step outside and return the call." She handed him back his cell phone and nodded before heading to the kitchen to let him have his privacy. On her way, she also grabbed the grocery bag with the orange juice in it which still sat on the couch.

Inside, Mark could feel himself fuming again.  
He knew this to be no _accident, _it had **Henry** written all over it.

Jen got herself a plate of eggs, a glass of orange juice, and took a seat at the table, looking toward the front door as Mark spoke with Vickie again on his cell out on the front porch.

Ten minutes had passed and Jen had finished up, standing from the table now and taking her plate to the sink. She returned to the table to gulp down the rest of her juice and after a couple steps toward the sink again, she paused. What was that sound?

A noise. A pretty odd one.  
It had sounded like wings flapping.  
Or maybe the whip of a coat in heavy winds.  
Then, a feeling.

Something stood not too far behind her.  
It was eerie.

Jen hesitated to look back, but at the same time, curiousity struck.  
So, slowly, she turned and once she was face-to-face with what was there, she gasped and literally jumped back a bit. However, as she did, she lost her footing and slipped which resulted in her falling backwards to the floor and slamming her head against the cabinets beneath the sink.  
It ached so much, that Jen was sure she was now bleeding, though she wasn't. She sat back up quickly, a hand over the spot on her head, "Who are you?! How did you get in here?!"

It was a man, average height. Brown hair, blue eyes, and wearing a beige-colored overcoat. He stared down at Jen, his expression calm and pretty serene. And honestly, he was rather attractive.  
"Jennifer..." He spoke up, raspiness in his voice, "I mean you no harm."

Her name! He knew it!

"Stay away from me! Henry sent you! How else can you know me?! MARK!" Jen screamed, panicking, and threw the glass she had been drinking from at him as hard as she could, aiming for his face.

The man reached out to intercept the glass, catching it. He looked at it for a moment then sat it down on the kitchen table next to him. He calmly took a step forward, "He won't see me. Please, calm down."

"Get away! MARK, HELP!" Jen cried out again.  
This time the man stayed put and didn't move.

Mark had just finished the call when he heard Jen that second time and nearly broke the front door on his rush back inside. He ran into the kitchen and hurried to her side, kneeling down when he saw her on the floor, "Hey, what happened? Why are you on the floor?"

Jen raised an arm, pointing a finger at the mysterious man who had appeared. Mark turned his head, looking at the area she pointed toward, but he didn't see a thing, "What? What are you pointing at?"  
The man shook his head, "I told you he wouldn't see me, Jennifer."

"... you don't see him..." She whispered and put her hands to her head, whimpering, "I'm going crazy, aren't I...?"

Mark shook his head and helped Jen back up to her feet, "Relax. You're fine. I think the stress of what happened can affect the mind, but try to focus... you've got to stay focused as best you can. Can you do that for me?"

He immediately regretted the way he said that last part to her. It almost felt as if his tone were speaking to a child, but Jen seemed unbothered as she nodded slowly. Her attention was elsewhere. To Mark, she was staring off into space.. but in reality, her eyes were actually back on the strange man again, "How do you know my name?"

Mark was worried. She was obviously beginning to show signs of losing her mind.  
"Jen, there's no one there. Stay with me." He stepped into the path of where she'd been looking, wanting her attention back.

The man was now blocked from Jen's view and she looked at Mark, "Oh. I'm sorry Mark. You're right... this has to be my imagination."

The man's head tilted a bit, "I'm not a figment of your imagination, Jennifer. I am an angel. I'm _**your**_angel."

That was certainly unexpected. Jen paused and suddenly burst into laughter. Hysterically.  
Mark stared at her now, growing more worried. What was this sudden outburst about? She really did seem to be losing her mind.

"Oh..." Jen finally calmed enough to speak, "...that was funny!"  
The man now appeared disappointed at her reaction.

"Uh, Jen... come on, I think you'd better rest..."  
Mark said as he took her by the hand and guided her back to her bedroom.


	14. I'm Here

**Author's Note: **_The introduction of the angel here__ is __borrowed from the series __**Supernatural**__. If you're a fan, you'll see what I mean. I love Castiel in the series, and his introduction in it is one of my FAVORITE scenes.. I wanted to take from that a bit.  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++_

After Jen settled onto the bed and wrapped herself up in a blanket, Mark left to give her some time to nap. He was beginning to grow worried about her after this odd behavior she had just shown. However, some rest would do her well... right?

Her eyes had closed and she was now relaxed and calm, ready to drift off into dreamland until a voice broke through the silence, _"Jennifer."_  
Jen opened her eyes again and looked up. The man was back and standing at her bedside, but Jen just shook her head and shut her eyes tightly, _"Not real, not real, not real, not real..."_ she repeated to herself.

_"I can assure you. I'm here. I'm real..."_ and with that, he reached out a hand and touched her lightly on the arm. She could actually feel it. Opening her eyes once more, she stared up at him, _"But it can't be. Angels don't exist."_

Again, the man appeared to be very disappointed, _"You never did seem to have much faith, Jennifer. But please, trust this."_ After taking a couple steps back, he then stood very still, and the room now flashed as if there was lightning happening outside. But it was no lightning. This angel was trying to give a demonstration in order to prove himself. As her room flashed, Jen stared wide-eyed at him. HUGE black angel wings now appeared from this man's back, and when the flashing was over, he was back to normal again. Jen gaped, but still, she didn't know what to think, _"But... but it can't be. This is just a dream. it has to be."_

He shook his head, _"If this is what it has to come down to, I guess I have no choice. Please don't panic, Jennifer, no harm is about to be done."_ ... _"Huh? What are you-..."_ Jen began to ask, but there was an interruption. Mark had now stepped back in to check on her and he FROZE, but not for long. He could see the man now and grew protective, _"Hey! Who are you?! Get the hell away from her!"_  
Quickly, Marked rushed in at him, swinging a fist, but it was caught inches before it had connected.  
The angel lifted his left hand and placed the index and middle fingers against Mark's forehead. Mark's body immediately went limp and fell unconscious to the floor.

_"Mark!"_ Jen screamed, and the angel turned back to her. _"Calm down, he is only sleeping. I'm hoping you believe and trust in me now."_ Jen jumped from the bed and rushed over to check on Mark. It was true. He seemed to only be sleeping. _"My name is Castiel..."_ the angel then introduced himself as Jen was knelt down by Mark and looking over him. She looked back up after the introduction. _"...by the way."_ He finished.

There was an awkward pause.

After a couple of minutes, Jen was ready to speak up and say something but now another noise else had broken through the lingering silence instead. A knock at the front door. Jen hesitated and Castiel's head tilted as he noticed her uneasiness, _"Henry wouldn't knock, Jennifer. There's no need to be afraid. You can answer it..."_  
His face then changed to serious as he looked toward the doorway, sensing an urgency from the visitor, _"...in fact, you **should** answer it..."_

The knock repeated, only this time, it didn't end.  
_*Knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-etc*_  
Over and over.  
Whoever stood outside now seemed desperate to get an answer.

Jen left the bedroom without a word and Castiel lifted Mark from the floor and placed him on the bed.

Jen approached the front door, but cautiously, and took a minute to peek out a window next to it. There stood a blonde girl who looked to be in her early 20s, around Jen's age. This girl was obviously upset since she was now basically slamming her palm against the door nonstop.

Jen now took another minute to look over her.  
The girls' clothing looked pretty tattered and even burned!  
Clearly she was in some distress as well as she then cried out, _"Mark, please!"_

Jen took a breath and decided to open the door.  
The girl was ready to immediately speak, but paused when she saw that it was not Mark standing there. _"...hi... does Mark still live here?"_ It was so clear to Jen now that this girl had definitely been through something horrific. Her hair was a tangled mess and her face dirty, as if from soot.

_"Are you okay? What's happened to you?"_ Jen asked, sincerely concerned.  
_"Please, just answer me... does Mark live here...?"_  
She was obviously still upset and on the verge of tears.

Also, there was something familiar about her to Jen, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it at the moment.  
_"He does..."_ Jen nodded, _"How do you know him?"_

_"I'm his cousin."_

At those words, it suddenly hit Jen and she winced, _"Cousin. Are you... are you Henry's sister?"_  
The resemblance was now obvious.

The girl nodded, fighting back tears, _"My name is Connie."_

Jen stepped aside, holding the door open for Connie to enter.  
She stepped in quickly and looked around, _"Where's Mark? It's urgent!"_

Jen paused for a moment and looked toward the doorway of her bedroom,_ "He's uh..."_  
Castiel stood there now, looking out at them, but was apparently only visible to Jen because Connie did not seem to notice him. _"He's... resting."_ Jen finished.

Connie now wasted no time in heading toward the room Mark was in, _"Well we're in danger and need to do something!"_

Castiel was still standing there and Connie passed right through him as if he was a ghost.  
Jen had been following a few steps behind and paused at that sight, just a bit creeped out.  
Noticing that she was spooked, Castiel decided to step aside to let her enter with ease.

Connie was at the bedside now and shaking Mark in an attempt to wake him, but he was not responding to anything. _"Mark wake up! Hey... WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIM?!"_ she yelled as she turned back to face Jen.


	15. Accusations & a Reunion

_**Author's note: **__I don't feel this chapter is very good, but as always, I tried. After this, I have a very busy week ahead, so I will not be writing. I also need to take time to think of where to go with this story next.. __***feels writers-block creeping in***__. Thanks for continued support and i hope you find this enjoyable even though I don't. lol ;)  
__

Jen was standing in the doorway, stunned.  
She glanced to Castiel, who offered no response.  
Looking back to Connie, she opened her mouth to try to answer, but was interrupted.

_"You did something to him, didn't you?! Apparently you know my brother Henry, so what have you done to Mark?!" _Connie yelled at Jen, her tone a mixture of despair and demanding.

Jen shook her head, trying to process all of this now in order to find an explanation that wouldn't make her sound crazy, _"I didn't do anything to him! I would __**never**__ hurt Mark."_

_"How the hell do you know my brother?!" _Connie demanded again.

Jen stared at her quietly.  
The right answer was definitely not going to help , then again, neither was this silence.  
_"I don't know how to answer that right now. Can you please calm down?"_

_"How calm would you be after losing both parents and almost dying along side them?! I couldn't save them! I tried! I couldn't! But I __**will**__ save Mark here! He did so much for my family long ago..." _Connie ranted, a threatening tone of voice now apparent.

Jen took a step back and tried to remain calm, _"Okay. Please, just __**try**__ to calm down._ _I may not understand everything you've been through, but I relate in a way. I've lost my parents too..." _Jen spoke in an attempted soothing tone, trying to calm and reason with Connie, who was obviously ready to explode at any second. But the words seems to fall on deaf ears, as she didn't seem to want to hear any of this.

_"Okay, you know what?! The longer you go without telling me what's wrong with Mark, the angrier it makes me..."  
_And with those words, Connie started to approach Jen.

Then, a ringing. Connie paused.  
Mark's cell phone was ringing from his pocket and, for a few seconds, the girls stared at each other in silence.  
Jen finally made the decision to move forward in an attempt to go for the phone, but Connie reached out and shoved her back lightly, _"__**I **__will get that."_

Jen sighed and glanced to Castiel again.  
Why was he being so quiet? She mouthed a _'what the fuck?' _to him, but he only shrugged.  
As Connie had her back turned, Jen pointed to Mark and looked questioningly at the angel.  
_"He's fine, stay calm." _He finally spoke up, only heard by Jen.

Mark's cell phone was already sticking halfway out of his pocket, so Connie grabbed it up easily and looked at the callers ID: "Unavailable".  
But despite that, she answered anyway, _"Mark's phone, Connie speaking."_

There was a pause as the person on the other end was silent.  
_"Hello?" _Connie said.

Finally, a male's voice responded, _"Connie. Wow... I heard about the little accident... nice to know that you're okay."  
_Sarcasm was quite obvious.

_"Henry!" _Connie screamed, truly pissed off, _"__**Accident**__ my ASS. I know that you were behind the fire! I saw you leaving the scene before I got out! How fucking DARE you! Mom and Dad are dead!"_

Henry stifled a laugh, which only increased Connie's rage.  
At the same time, tears streamed down her cheeks.

_"Connie, we haven't seen each other in so long. Now how can you be so sure that the person was me? Puh-leez."  
_Henry was taunting her and loving every second of it.

Connie was so angry now, that her grip on the cell phone tightened more and more and it was quite a surprise that it had not yet broken under the pressure, _"That doesn't matter, __**ASSHOLE**__! No matter how much time has passed, I will __**always**__ know you when I see you..." _Her teeth were gritted as she spoke, making it obvious how upset she was.

_"Aw, sisterly love." _Henry taunted, getting a kick out of it. Then, he formed an idea.  
_"Hey... you're on Mark's phone. That must mean you're with my girl too. Did she get the job done? Is Mark dead yet?"_  
In true Henry fashion, he figured why not have some fun and toy with someone again?

Unfortunately for Jen, this situation Henry was describing looked all too real.  
Connie spun around to look at Jen again and Henry continued, his lips having formed an evil smirk as he spoke, _"My Jen is awesome at that whole innocent act. She reminds me of myself in a way."_

_"I knew it..." _Connie growled and hung up the phone, letting it drop from her hand as she stormed toward Jen.

Henry chuckled to himself and let out a sigh of content as he leaned back into his couch, proud and relaxing, _"It's a shame I'm not there to witness what I just created. At least my attempt to kill Connie wasn't a total loss. I've just made use of her." _Henry loved to hear himself talk about accomplishments, but once again, he wasn't **totally** alone.

The ghostly image of Richard had returned and now stood at his brothers' side, facing him, _"You are pathetic."_

_"Keep it up, Rich. Keep it up. I'm going to make you so sorry, you'll be glad that you're dead..." _Henry responded, rather calmly. This whole thing with Richard was stupid and Henry was determined to do his best to not let it drive him mad. (as if he isn't already..). It was obvious he'd been losing to the brat lately, but not this time.

Without another word, the boys' image faded and Henry smirked, feeling victorious.

Connie closed in on Jen, the space between them now only a foot, if that, and Connie reached out to grab Jen by the collar of her shirt and shoved her back against a wall, holding her there, _"What did you do to him?! And don't pull the innocent shit with me again! Henry just told me all about it!" _Connie screamed in Jen's face.

_"What the hell are you talking about? I haven't done anything! Henry is lying, don't fall for his game... aren't you smarter than that?!" _Jen shouted back, standing her ground despite the fear that now ran through her.

Castiel immediately waved a hand toward Mark, which woke him again.  
As Mark's vision started to come into focus, he could see Jen pinned to a wall by a blonde girl.  
Connie's back was to him, so he did not yet know who this was.

_"Stop pretending!" _Connie screamed again and brought a fist up and into Jen's face.

This alerted Mark, definitely.  
Didn't matter that he still felt woozy, he jumped from the bed and yanked this girl away from Jen, _"Back off..!"_  
He yelled and spun her around to face him, then paused in shock.

Connie immediately wrapped her arms around him tightly, _"Mark! You're okay!"  
"Connie?" _Mark finally spoke up as he returned the hug, _"I thought you had died with Aunt Susan and Uncle Wallace."_

_"Oh Mark, I'm so sorry! I couldn't save them! I tried! I wanted to!" _She cried out hysterically, tears streaming once again.

_"Shh. I believe you Connie. I'm glad you made it out."  
_Mark had told her, gently patting her on the back.

Castiel looked angrily at Mark and went to Jen's side. He laid a gentle hand on her cheek, healing the pain that she felt from Connie's punch. Jen looked back into the angels' eyes, a soft smile on her lips and head tilted into his palm.

Mark and Connie released each other.  
"_Connie, why the hell did you just hit Jen?"_

"_She's a fraud!"  
_Connie yelled and tried to go at Jen again, but Mark grabbed onto an arm to stop her,  
_"Whoa! Cool down. Jen is innocent. She's a victim in all of this too."_

_"Mark, Henry called your cell. He explained all about __**his girl **__Jen mastering the innocent act as he always did and said there was a plan to kill you! You were laying there motionless, unable to be woken. I thought she succeeded..." _Connie shot a glare at Jen during that last bit.

Mark looked a bit confused, unsure of what to say at first. He couldn't remember exactly what had just happened to him, _"Connie... come on, you should know better than to believe anything that sick fuck has to say. Here's the truth... Jen was dating Henry. __**WAS.**__ She isn't with him anymore. He raped her ... and, she's pregnant."_

Castiel had a comforting around around Jen, and was still unseen by the other two.  
Jen's eyes were glued to the floor at the moment, partly frustrated and partly ashamed.

Connie had cooled down now, _"I'm sorry... I didn't know..."_

_"Of course..." _Jen huffed, _"...you were too busy believing your liar brother and assuming. I hate this family."  
_She turned now and left the room, Castiel following.


	16. R&R?

**_Author's note: _**_There's a scene in this chapter that wasn't originally planned. I felt it before bed that night and decided to add it in. And to be honest, it related to myself in a way. I believe that if there's something a writer needs to get out, and it could easily fit into the story, do it :) Hope you enjoy._

**_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_**

That evening, Henry fell into slumber earlier than usual.  
It was currently only 8:02pm.  
He would never admit to it, but Richard was still draining him. And not just during the waking hours.  
It was near impossible for Henry to close his eyes and _**NOT**_ see his younger brother. **_EVERY _**time.  
And now, on came another dream:

It was freezing. A familiar setting too.  
But, something was wrong.  
Water.

Henry couldn't breathe.  
Whenever he tried, icy waters entered his airway and filled the lungs.  
He choked, tried to struggle, but could not seem to move.  
His vision was pitch-black at first, but slowly, images began to come into focus.  
But no sounds.

He seemed to be floating under a big plate of glass, because there were faces looking down through it, staring at him. Henry stared back at them, still paralyzed, and right then he knew why this was familiar. This wasn't glass, it was a sheet of ice! This is the kind of thing Connie went through when he had tried to get rid of her so long ago.

All the faces began to fade away, except for one.  
Richard.  
His expression was serious and seemed to say _'How does it feel?'_.  
Everything went pitch-black again, and then a soft whisper into Henry's ear: _"...die, brother..."_

Henry jumped awake and flew into a mini-rage.  
Grabbing the nearest object, which happened to be an alarm clock on the table next to the couch he slept on, he flung it across the room. After slamming into the wall and dropping to the floor, it went off loudly. Henry growled and grabbed a hammer as he stormed over to where it lay. _"I'm done playing!" _He screamed out and smashed it into as many tiny pieces as possible, bringing silence again.

Letting the hammer drop to the floor, he caught his breath and calmed as best he could.  
_"I'm done playing." _He repeated, this time quietly and serious.  
Henry threw on his coat and started to head out into the night, grabbing up the hammer again on his way out - a last minute decision.

**xxxxx**

Jen was so tempted to walk out the front door that evening. After all of the chaos from today, she isolated herself, only accepting Castiel by her side. Connie had tried to reach out and apologize to Jen earlier, but Jen told her not to touch her and to go away. Mark wanted to talk and be supportive, but she even turned him away as well. He finally accepted defeat and let her be to herself for a bit to cool down from all that stress.

Jen sat down on the side of her bed, her eyes staring sadly at the floor. She said nothing, and Castiel approached.  
_"May I sit with you, Jennifer?" _His voice was soft and only nodded and he joined her. _"Talk to me, let it out."_

Jen sighed, _"I've got a problem, Castiel. And it's so __**wrong**__. So fucked up. I shouldn't even have this problem..."  
"I'm listening. Get it out Jennifer, you don't deserve the burden of keeping things inside."  
_Castiel's gentle hand now rested on her back.

_"I'm so broken inside. I do my best lately to mask it outside. Castiel..."  
_Her eyes raised now and looked directly into his, _"I'm still so hurt by Henry's complete turn-around."_

Castiel nodded slightly and Jen continued, _"I'm not saying I still love him. God I hope this isn't that. It's just... well, I put my trust... all my trust and heart... and, hell, even soul... yeah... my life, it was good... or I thought it was anyway. Can you understand what I'm saying...?" _Jen's eyes were moistening as fresh tears prepared to fall, _"How can I still hurt so much over this evil guy who did me __**SO**__ wrong? I __**DON'T**__ want to feel this way!" _Her tears fell now, leaving a stream down her cheeks and Castiel reached out, wiping them away gently.

_"Jennifer, this is all normal. And you're going to be okay. I understand what you're trying to say. You thought you'd found all you needed. Your heart let down its shields and embraced what it believed to be a castle, only to later find out he had his own secret balcony that wasn't there before."_

Jen chuckled nervously, _"So to speak."_

_"You don't love him anymore after this, your heart and soul are just traumatized and in need of healing. I'm here to help. Know that." _Castiel wiped another tear away and gave her a sweet smile. _"Thanks." _Jen smiled back.

_"Come on..." _Castiel stood, helping Jen to her feet, _"let's get out for a bit."  
"Go out? What about Mark?" _

Castiel shook his head, _"Forget about them right now, this time is for you."  
_Jen said no more, just nodded in approval.

It was very sudden. Maybe only about 2 seconds later, Jen and Castiel were now standing in a night club and he led her over to a table. The dance floor was packed. Tons of people were enjoying themselves tonight and currently dancing to "Call On Me" by Eric Prydz. Jen was surprised that no one seemed to notice their mysterious appearance.

As they sat down, Castiel offered to get her something to drink.  
_"Just some lemon water is fine."_

With a snap of his fingers, Castiel made a glass of Jen's beverage appear on the table in front of her.

_"Wow! That... that's amazing.. thank you Castiel."  
_She laughed.

Castiel grinned. He was glad that he could take her mind off of things, at least for now.  
_"Go on and taste it. I guarantee you there's no other quite like it."_

Jen laughed again, _"Well aren't you proud of yourself. Okay."_

She lifted the glass to her lips and began to drink. It was just going to be a quick taste, but it was **so **delicious, her tasting lasted a few more seconds. _"Ahh..." _She breathed as she set the glass back down, _"You're right, Castiel, that is some fantastic lemon water there. Heavenly..."  
_Jen laughed some more and shot a wink in his direction.

This brought a chuckle from Castiel as well.

**xxxxx**

From the upstairs level, a figure now stood looking over the railing and right down at them.  
_"Isn't this interesting." _The male said to himself.

It was Henry.

He had been hanging around and drinking in this same bar for the past 25 minutes.

Downing the last of his whiskey in a quick shot, he smiled in his usual sinister/creepy way and reached into his coat pocket, where he pulled the hammer back out. _"I'm done playing." _He mumbled to himself.


	17. Ready Or Not

_**Author's note: **_This is the fastest I've ever written a chapter. It really flowed. I'm kinda proud of this one and things are "heating up" as you'll see. Hope you enjoy!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Mark had been sitting in his living room talking with Connie a bit.

_"It's important that we get things straightened out. Henry is enough of a cause of stress, I don't want things to be bad between you two."_ He had told her as he rose from his seat and went to the door of Jen's bedroom. _"Jen?"_ He called out as he knocked at the door. _"Jen, the three of us all need to talk. It's important we get this worked out."_  
Silence.

Mark began to feel uneasy, _"Jen?"_

More silence.

He opened the door slowly and peeked in.  
The room was completely empty and he quickly flung the door all the way open when he noticed, _"Jen?!"_

Connie jumped up when she heard Mark panicking and he turned back to her, his eyes wide in horror, _"She's gone!"_  
Connie rushed over to the bathroom to check it and Mark watched, hopeful, until she looked back and shook her head.

_"Henry."_ Mark growled, running over to grab his coat off the rack by the front door.  
Connie followed and he gave her a spare jacket. _"You think? But how? Wouldn't we have heard something?"_

_"He's tricky. I wouldn't put it past him._ _I __**refuse**__ to let him hurt her again!"  
_Mark ranted and hurried out to his truck, Connie following.

**xxx**

Peering down at the two again, Henry's free hand firmly gripped the railing.  
Partly in anger, but mostly because he began to sway.  
He had overdone the drinking tonight and was feeling it now.  
His focus was mainly on Jen, _"Ready or not..."_

Even though he was drunk, his aim would be surprisingly perfect as he flung the hammer down toward the back of her head. It flew fast and was just inches from striking her until Castiel quickly raised a hand to freeze it in midair.

The angel rose from his seat, glaring up at the area where Henry stood.  
Henry stared back, wide-eyed with a "WTF?" look.

Jen followed Castiel's move and stood, spinning around to see what he was glaring at.  
She was met with the sight of the hammer still hovering there and gasped in surprise.

Castiel let it drop and waved a hand, which sent a powerful force up and into Henry, sending him flying back several feet and crashing into a wall. He was knocked unconscious for the moment.

_"Come on Jennifer." _  
Castiel took her hand and even grabbed onto the glass of lemon water he had made for her and they vanished from the club.

**xxx**

Mark had his foot down heavily on the gas pedal, which had Connie a bit startled.  
_"Mark, do you even have an idea of where to look for her?"_

He nodded, never taking his eyes off of the road in front of them, _"We're going to the house where they lived."_

_"And if no one's there?"_

_"I'll still get some revenge..."_ Mark told her, sounding so serious and angry it scared her,  
_"...ready or not, Henry."_

**xxx**

Castiel and Jen had now reappeared back in the bedroom.  
With a sigh, he looked down to the floor and felt ashamed, "_I did not mean to put you in harms way. I had no idea he'd be there."_

Jen took the glass of water he'd been holding and set it down on a nightstand, _"Don't blame yourself, Castiel. I don't. It just happened, but we're okay, and-"_ She paused. There was that feeling again. _"...oh god."_

Jen fled from the room and into the bathroom where she collapsed to her knees in front of the toilet and vomited.  
Castiel teleported to her side and rubbed her back gently.  
Once she had finished, she reached up to hit the handle and flush, breathing heavily,  
_"Sorry. Ugh... that was embarrassing."_

_"Are you feeling better?" _The angel asked, true sincerity and care in his tone.

_"For now I suppose. Hey... wait..."  
_She picked herself back up quickly and left the bathroom, now searching the place, _"Mark and Connie aren't here. Oh no! Castiel, they must have noticed me gone_. _It's not safe out there! We just had_ _an interaction with Henry, he could get to them too!"_

Jen panicked and started to head for the front door but Castiel teleported into her path and gently rested his hands on both her shoulders, stopping her, _"Henry's not a threat to them right now, please, trust me. You need to remain here. They're going to be okay._

Jen sighed.

**xxx**

Mark and Connie reached the cabin where Henry and Jen once lived together and after shutting off the truck, Mark got out and ran up to the door, not even bothering to wait for Connie. She soon met up with him though.  
The door was locked and Mark growled in frustration.  
_"What now?" _Connie asked, peeking into a window but only seeing darkness.

Mark scanned the porch before grabbing a pretty heavy flower pot, _"Watch out."  
_Connie took a few quick steps back and out of the way as Mark lifted it and aimed at the window.  
_"Aaaah!" _He screamed out as he heaved it through the window, and Connie winced at the crashing sound it made.  
_"Be careful about the glass." _Mark told her as he handed her a spare flashlight and climbed on through.  
Making his way around, being sure to search every spot possible, Mark kept praying that he wouldn't come across Jen laying here dead somewhere, "_Oh please.. don't be here dead, Jen." _He whispered to himself.

Connie remained downstairs, double-checking everything as Mark made his way upstairs toward the bedroom where he had seen them together before. When he opened the door, he shined his flashlight around inside before stepping in and something there on the floor by the bed caught his eye.

A body?

It certainly had the shape, which now panicked Mark.

He ran over to it, but then breathed a sigh of relief-  
it was only a couple of big pillows laying in an arrangement that resembled a body.

It was over now. He had finished his search of the place.  
There was no trace of Jen.

He came back down the stairs now and headed for the door.  
_"Nothing..." _He told Connie, "_...it's time."_

_"Time?" _Connie asked, confused as she followed him back to the truck.  
She got in, figuring they were leaving, but Mark only got in to reach over and pull something from the glove compartment.  
Whatever it was, he shoved it into his pocket and got back out.

Connie got back out and stood by her door, watching Mark walk to the back of the truck and pull two gas cans out of its bed.

_"Seriously?!" _She responded, a bit startled.

_"Yes." _He simply stated and headed back into the cabin.

Connie sighed, but after remembering what Henry had done to their parents.. it suddenly felt fine and she even smirked.  
This was only fair. It was just too bad that Henry wasn't in there to burn too.

Mark started in the upstairs bedroom, pouring gas all over the place before reaching into his pocket and pulling out what he had grabbed before - a book of matches. He struck one and threw it down, turning to go back downstairs after watching the whole room catch fire rather quickly.

On his way down, Mark held a gas can upside down, leaving a trail behind him and again - he lit a match, which caught the entire staircase on fire now.  
He lit up all the rooms and ran out the front door back to his truck.

Connie had been sitting and watching as each area went up in flames.

She glanced over to Mark as he started the engine, and when he looked back, she smiled.  
He grinned.

Putting the truck into drive, they now drove off to continue their search for Jen.

**xxx**

Henry had woken about a half hour after his attempted attack when a man had found him laying unconscious and shook him.  
_"Hey, dude, you okay?"_

When he came to, Henry growled and shoved the guy away from him.

_"Jesus! Excuse me for trying to help. Fuckin' ungrateful prick!"  
_The man yelled and left him.

Henry was still a bit groggy but hurried out of the club and headed back home.

The cool night air was filled with the scent of smoke and the closer he got toward his home, the stronger it was.

Henry was within sight now and paused his steps.  
He could see it. His home completely engulfed in flames.

He stood there, staring - his cold blue eyes narrowed.

If facial expressions could kill, this would definitely be the one.


	18. Answers

During the drive, Mark's cell phone rang. When he saw that is was the same 'Unavailable' that Henry had been calling from, he growled. After hitting the answer button, Mark screamed into phone, _"Where is she?!"_

_"You know, I'm surprised at you Mark. I didn't think you had it in you. Wait until I get my hands on Jen again. I'm going to make it slow..." _Henry teased, a sinister but amused undertone.

_"Cut the bullshit Henry, I know you have her!"_

_"Oh trust me, If I had her, you'd have stumbled across her dead body by now. I do wonder though, who this man is that's with her right now. They looked cozy at the club. I knew she was a slut."_

Mark hung up on him.

_"What did he say?" _Connie asked, having watched him during the whole conversation.

_"He's claiming Jen is __**supposedly**__ with some guy at the club. We're going to check it out, just incase."_

_"You're not worried it's a trap?"_

_"I don't give a damn. But you stay in the truck, just incase."_

_"Oh come on..."_

_"I'm serious, Connie. Please." _Mark pleaded, glancing over to her.

Connie sighed in defeat and nodded, _"Fine."_

Once they arrived at the club, Mark wasted no time in rushing inside.  
Connie did as she was told and remained in the locked up truck.

It was quite a busy night. The club was even more packed than when Jen and Castiel had been there earlier. Mark wasn't even on the dance floor and was already having to kind of push a way through people, apologizing to any he bumped. He had started heading for the bar, to see if maybe the bartender had seen Jen, but halfway there he paused. There were a couple of guys nearby who seemed to be arguing over some event that one of them had witnessed earlier.

Guy 1: _"Dude, I'm telling you... this __**IS**__ what I saw!"  
_Guy 2: _"Shut up. You're just too fucking wasted, man. You're seeing shit."_

Mark got a bit closer, hoping to hear them better.

Guy 1: _"I'm telling you, someone upstairs was trying to kill someone down here! I saw a hammer fly toward this couple, but the guy stood up and froze it in midair just in time! Voodoo shit, dude, I'm telling you."_

The conversation ended there as the second guy broke out in laughter.  
_"Fuck you." _The first guy responded, downing the last of his beer bottle now.

_"Excuse me..." _Mark spoke up, approaching the men now, _"...sorry to butt in, but I'm looking for someone and I think the woman from this couple you mentioned might be her. Did she have longish brunette hair?"_

The first guy nodded, _"I overheard the man she was with called her Jennifer at one point."_

_"That's her!" _Mark said hopefully, _"Did you happen to see where she went?!"_

The second guy had settled down and was no longer laughing. He just stood and listened.

_"That's the thing... I know this is going to sound crazy," _the first guy began, then glanced over to his buddy, _"and this asshole here's just gonna' laugh again, but... they vanished.. into like fucking thin air!"_

He was certainly right about his buddy.  
The laughter came again, even louder than before.

_"Oh shut the fuck up." _Guy 1 replied.

Mark said no more. He turned and ran from the club.  
This was very bad. He didn't like the sound of this guy that Jen's with.

Connie noticed Mark rushing back to the truck,  
_"Hey, what's up? What happened?"_

After starting the engine, Mark looked over to her.  
_"A guy in there said he saw Jen, but I'm not liking the sound of this guy that's with her. Apparently he stopped a hammer in midair, which is good because at least it means Jen wasn't hurt, but then they vanished. Like magic."_

_"What? No way..."_

_"We're heading back, I feel like checking again..."_

**xxx**

Back at Mark's place, Jen and Castiel now sat in the living room talking.

_"Jennifer, there's something you should know. When I saw Henry back there, I felt something. A sense. He's not quite himself."_

_"Has he ever been __**himself?**__"  
_Jen asked, not understanding what Castiel was saying.

_"No, what I'm saying is that there's something extra inhuman about him."_

She stared over at Castiel, head tilted curiously.

He noticed this and continued, _"There's something about him. I think, at some point, he may have made a deal with the darkness."_

_"What does that even mean...?" _She asked, still just as confused.

Castiel's mouth opened again, ready to answer until he suddenly paused and glanced toward the front door, vanishing afterward.

_"What the...? Hello?!" _  
Jen was frustrated now at her angel's sudden unexpected exit and she stood from her seat on the couch, looking around until the sound of the doorknob being unlocked and turned caught her attention.

Mark and Connie stepped in and looked to her, relieved.

_"Jen! Thank god!"  
_Mark shouted and rushed over to embrace her.

_"Sorry to worry you."  
_Jen said softly as she embraced him back.

_"What the hell happened? And were you out with someone? This guy at the club told me what he saw-"  
_Before Mark could finish everything he was going to say, there was that sound of wings flapping and his attention was now drawn to the figure standing behind Jen. Connie's eyes widened too. Castiel had reappeared and was choosing to be visible to them now.

_"Hey wait a second... I remember you!" _Mark screamed angrily, _"It was you who knocked me out!"_

Jen held both arms out at her sides, as if she was protecting Castiel, because Mark did look ready to make a move at him, _"Mark, listen..."  
_But her words would now be interrupted by the angel standing behind her, _"In all fairness, I think you did deserve it."  
_Jen shot a glance of disbelief back at him.

_"Excuse me?! Who the fuck are you?!"_  
Mark screamed, his anger almost at the limits now.

Castiel vanished and reappeared behind Mark.  
At this, Connie backed away, putting as much distance as possible between herself and this. It was truly freaking her out.

_"I am Jennifer's guardian angel..." _Castiel responded, now causing Mark spin around and face him, _"...who are __**YOU**__? Where was your assistance to her after this girl attacked? You embraced the attacker, Jen was left in pain."_

That was it. Mark was fuming now.

_"Oh you've got a __**LOT **__of nerve! Some guardian angel! Where were you when Jen was-!"  
_But Mark stopped himself, realizing Jen was still standing there behind them and it was probably best not to bring that up. He glanced back at her and noticed it apparently didn't matter. He stopped, but it still affected her because her eyes were now on the floor.

Castiel shook his head, his whole tone now changing to regret and shame, _"You're right. I should've stepped in before that happened and prevented it. But there were rules, and I wasn't allowed at the time. There are things - sometimes awful - that need to happen... that are supposed to happen... that are meant to. I wasn't allowed to interfere."_

_"__**NEED **__to?! __**SUPPOSED**__ to?! __**MEANT **__to?!" _Mark yelled, grabbing the angel by his shoulders and shaking him angrily with the next question, _"Tell me, what in the __**hell **__would make her deserve that?!"_

Castiel just stood there, letting Mark handle him without a fight.

_"Mark, stop. Let him go."  
_Jen spoke up, finally looking to them again.

_"Did you hear all this shit, Jen? He's supposedly your guardian angel, but he just stood by and let Henry hurt you!"_

_"Let him go Mark." _She requested again, and he obeyed but still glared at Castiel.  
_"Castiel, repeat what you were telling me about Henry."_

Brushing off his coat a bit, Castiel looked to Jen and repeated, _"Henry has darkness in him."_

_"That's nothing new, I've known that for the last fifteen years." _Mark stated.

_"This is different. i believe he made some kind of deal. Sold his soul."_

_"He __**had**__ a soul?"_ Mark asked, which normally would be a joke, but it was obviously serious in this case. _  
"Wait..." _He added, _"Is __**that **__how he's back?!"_

_"Likely." _Castiel said.

_"This is all so weird." _Connie spoke up, still at a distance.

_"So what's the best thing we can do? If you know this about him, you must know a weakness or something we can use against him." _Mark asked, determined to get as much info as possible.

_"I didn't sense that he had any special powers. I believe he's still just a human."_

_"Well, that's a relief then." _Jen sighed as she then started heading for her bedroom.

_"Are you okay, Jen?" _Mark wondered.

_"Kind of sick, just want to rest a while. Sorry." _

Mark only nodded, waiting for her to go in and shut the door before he whispered to himself, _"Why does she keep shutting me out?"_

Connie frowned.  
She could tell even from a distance how troubled her cousin was right now.

**xxx**

Jen cut the light on and slowly and gently climbed into bed to lay down.  
She wasn't lying. She did currently feel pretty sick and exhausted.

_"I hate this. I hate suffering because of what Henry did to me..."  
_And with those words, came tears. She sobbed a bit, softly.

Castiel had appeared by her side again, of course.  
_"What if I told you I may be able to fix it?"_ He asked, looking down at her with care in his eyes.

Jen looked back up at him curiously.

_"Would you let me?" _He added.


	19. Tension

Jen blinked, silent in thought as she stared back at her angel.  
What did he mean? Could he really "fix" it? And how?

_"Jennifer..."_ Castiel spoke up again, but softly. His head tilted, studying her expression which, to him, seemed hesitant and maybe even a bit worried, _"Don't be afraid."_

She shook her head in response, _"No. I'm not... I- I just don't understand. How would you help fix this?"_

_"Well... I would do what could normally be done. Only, my way." _He explained, but it still wasn't quite clear enough, as Jen questioned him again.

_"Castiel, what are you saying?"_

_"I can change it. I can end the pregnancy... in a way, kind of like..."_

_"...an abortion...?" _Jen asked, finishing the sentence for him and he nodded his head.

Jen looked away now, across the room, silent in thought once again. Now there was an inner struggle. A war waged inside. There was a part of her desperately screaming 'Yes! Please!', while at the same time, she felt so wrong for even considering it.

Castiel placed a gently hand on Jen's shoulder, sensing her turmoil, _"It's alright Jennifer. You don't have to make this decision right now."_

She nodded, "_I do think I need some time."_

_"Which is absolutely fine. Now, get some rest."  
_Castiel could tell how tired and unwell she really was.

It wouldn't take long for her to drift off to sleep... Castiel's presence was soothing and she felt so safe and comfortable with him there.

Once he was certain that Jen was sleeping soundly, Castiel teleported into the other room where Mark and Connie were, which startled her and caused her to jump, _"God. Can't you use the door like us normal people? It would give us more of a heads-up."_

_"I apologize."_

_"How is she doing?" _Mark asked, but refused to look at the angel.

_"She's asleep now," _Castiel told them, clearly noticing Mark's refusal to look at him, but he would just shrug it off. If Mark wanted to still be angry, that was fine, _"I told Jennifer that I can offer a solution, if it is her wish."_

This was the moment Mark chose to look back at him, his head whipping around quickly now in curiousity, _"What kind of a solution?"_

_"I can offer a way to stop the pregnancy."_

_"What did Jen say?" _Connie asked, curiously.

_"She is going to take a bit of time to think it over first."_

_"You should do it." _Mark spoke up.

Connie gasped, shocked at her cousin, _"Mark!"_

_"What?! Do you think she should go through with this? And what about if Henry were to find out that Jen's pregnant?! He would have a ball with that!" _

Mark approached the angel now and stood only a couple of feet away in front of him, "_You should fix this, it's YOUR fault after all! You stood idly by and did nothing to save her!"_

Castiel narrowed his eyes, but remained calm, _"I can say the same of you. You were there. What did you do to help?"_

Mark's eyes widened, shocked and ready to rage, _"Unlike you, I didn't know that's what was happening... you god-damn FAIRY!"_

_"Hey, hey! That's enough! Stop your bickering, guys, you'll wake her up!" _Connie shouted, but trying not to be too loud and rushed over to get between them.

Castiel stood calm the whole time, _"This decision is Jen's. And Jen's alone. I will be there to fix it only if it's what she truly wants. Do not try to persuade her against what she wants, or you will have me to deal with."_

_"Don't threaten me! It's insulting that you think I'd do such a thing! I've already told Jen that I support whatever she decides to do about it. So shut the fuck up!" _Mark fumed again. His buttons were seriously being pushed. He cared about Jen and couldn't believe the nerve of this guy.

Castiel turned his back to Mark now, ready to go back in to check on Jen, but paused to speak one more time.  
_"I'm Jennifer's care-taker. Her __**real **__guardian. I know that you don't like me, and frankly, I don't care. You'll just have to accept me."  
_This time, Castiel used the door and went back to Jen.

Mark shook his head and took in a deep breath, letting it back out slowly.

_"Relax Mark, please. You two are going to have to get along, for Jen's sake. She needs __**both **__of you." _Connie told him as she took a seat on the couch again.

He nodded, _"I know."_

Connie said no more, but deep down, she was starting to get a sense of what was going on and maybe even why her cousin was beginning to act this way.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

With his home now burnt to the ground, Henry had spent some time wandering through the forest in search of new shelter, all while plotting his revenge. Nothing exact yet, but one thing was - of course - definite... it was not going to be pretty.

_'Hahahahahahahaha...'  
_Laughter. **Richard's** laughter.

Henry paused by a tree and looked all around him.  
No one was there. It was then that he realized it was only in his mind.

_'Hahahahaha...'_

Now the laughter had an echo.  
And it would not stop.

Henry growled and slammed his hands against the sides of his head, _"Shut the fuck up!"_

Even more laughter.  
_'Hahahahahahaaaaaaa...'_

This was very agitating.

Henry now slammed his fists against the tree, drawing blood and leaving some of the skin on his knuckles pretty raw.  
However, it did not phase him. He just collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily and holding his head.

After another moment, Richard's laughter finally began to fade until Henry could no longer heard it.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Jen's peaceful slumber did not last long.  
Even though Castiel was now back in the room and at her side, a nightmare had begun:

~Her eyes opened. The room Jen was in was so bright white, it was blinding, so she closed them once again and started picking herself up off of the cold, hard floor that she had been laying on. Once she was on her feet, she could hear what sounded like like steps from tiny feet come rushing up behind her and stop.

_"Mommy?"  
_It was the voice of a young boy. Perhaps a toddler.

Jen opened her eyes and spun around.  
The room was no longer blinding, now it was pitch-black darkness, making it impossible to see the child.

He spoke again, _"Mommy? Come play with me Mommy."_

_"Wh- What? What's going on?! Who are you?" _Jen spoke up and took a single step back though she still could see nothing.

The child giggled, _"You funny, Mommy... come play... COME PLAY!"_

Suddenly, as Jen looked downward, she could now see two small red eyes glowing through the darkness.  
Gasping, she tried to spin back around and run away but before she could, something slammed into her and knocked her backwards to the ground.

Now it felt as though the child was climbing up her body - from feet to chest - where he froze and looked down at her.  
Those two creepy red eyes peered into hers as he spoke once again - only this time, with a deep demonic voice, _"I SAID PLAY WITH ME MOMMY!"_

Jen was frozen. She could not move or even scream.  
The eyes got closer and as the face was only a couple of inches from her own, it lit up suddenly and was Henry's, eyes still red!~

There was now a release and she began to scream as she woke up.

Castiel flinched a bit and put a gentle hand to her shoulder, which only seemed to frighten her more.  
_"No! NO! Let go of me!"_

_"Jennifer, relax... you were dreaming!" _Castiel assured, trying his best to snap her out of this state.

In two seconds, Mark had rushed through the door and into the room, yanking the angel away when he saw the hand on her shoulder.  
_"What are you doing to her?!"_ Mark demanded to know as he slammed Castiel up against a wall.

Connie ran in and went to Jen's side.

Jen was now fully awake and aware that she'd only been dreaming as she looked at the two men now, _"Hey! It's okay-"_

_"Damn it Mark, stop!" _Connie yelled.

What happened next shocked the girls. Castiel was quite sick of Mark's attitude toward him lately, so he raised a hand and Mark went flying across the room and into another wall. He slid down and collapsed to the floor, dazed.

_"Oh god..."_ Connie gasped and ran to his side.

_"Castiel!" _Jen shouted in disbelief.

_"My apologies, Jennifer, but his temper is extremely out of control lately..." _The angel's eyes moved from her back to Mark, _"What has gotten into you? You need to pull yourself together. It's an insult to think I would ever hurt her."_

Mark said nothing after getting back up to his feet with Connie's help and he left the room immediately.

**_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
_**_Author's note:_ Sorry for the 2-month delay, writer's block SUCKS. I feel this could've been a bit longer, but I wanted to go ahead and get something out. Hope you still enjoyed :) What are your thoughts on Mark's temper toward Castiel lately? Also, I'm still debating whether or not to have Henry find out about the pregnancy. Feel free to leave any input in a review or PM. Thanks for sticking with me!


	20. The Plot

Jen sighed,_ "Okay... please go get him. I'd like to speak with him alone."_  
Connie nodded and left to go after Mark.

_"And I mean it. Alone."_ Her eyes now set on Castiel so he knew that she would mean him too.

_"Jennifer, he seems a bit out of control lately."_

_"Castiel, please. He wouldn't do anything. I trust him just as I trust you. Let me have a word alone with Mark."_

The angel nodded without another word and vanished.

Mark entered the room again about fifteen seconds later, and Jen wasted no time in speaking up, _"Mark, I understand you were worried, but it was only a nightmare and I'm sorry it got you so worked up. You need to understand something though... Castiel would __**never**__ do anything to hurt me. He's my guardian angel. So please, calm down."_

_"I know, Jen. I apologize. It's Henry. I'm letting him get to me more than I should. I know I need to relax and I promise to do my best. Can you forgive me?"_

She gave him a sweet smile, _"Of course. Now, let's all work together okay?"_

Mark returned her smile and embraced her, _"You bet."_  
He then took a seat next to her on the bed as she looked around and called out for Castiel and Connie to return.  
In only three seconds, the angel reappeared, followed by Connie who walked back in not long after.

Mark stood from the bed and looked to the angel, _"I'm sorry for my behavior and would really like it if we can get along from now on."_

Though he remained weary, Castiel would not show it.  
He simply nodded and extended a hand, which Mark immediately took and nodded back as they shook.

_"And, Castiel, I've decided..." _Jen spoke up, the smile on her face from seeing these two shake hands now fading.

_"Yes, Jennifer?" _He moved to be closer to her side.

_"Do it."_ Her eyes moved to look downward now in shame.

_"Are you sure? Absolutely 100% sure, and all YOUR decision?" _Castiel asked, needing her reassurance as he placed a hand gently over hers.

She nodded and looked to him again, _"100%"_

Mark and Connie remained quiet, exchanging glances.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

After the brief encounter with Richard's ghost earlier, Henry had decided to head back to the tunnel and perhaps, for now, make that his temporary home. Sleep deprivation had really begun to take a toll because almost as soon as he reached his destination, he drifted off to sleep as he leaned against one of the concrete walls in exhaustion.

However, this time would be **much** different.  
What was about to occur was very unusual, and a first for Henry... at least, as far as he could remember.

There was a chill in the air. Colder than anything ever. Any place.  
And all Henry could see now was dark gray.

_"What's happening? What's going on here?!" _He demanded to know.  
His body was now beginning to react to the extremely bitter temperature. Trembling hard, he was sure he was about to drop to the ground since his legs could barely handle it.

Just then, two red eyes appeared a few away and whatever this was, it began to laugh.  
_"Welcome back to hell, Henry._"

_"Hell? What are you talking about? Hell would have fire, and people would be burning everywhere. Where am I?!"_

_"Hahahaaa... you really don't remember then. You humans and your completely wrong views. Hell is quite the opposite from your tales. Anyway... don't you ever wonder, Henry, why it is that you can't remember anything in your life from the time your mother dropped you from the cliff to just five years ago?"_

Henry now took a seat on the ground, shaking almost violently, _"So you had something to do with this..."_

_"You had a home with us in hell for quite some time. And, after twenty years, we placed you back into the world as you are now. How you would've been had you never perished. Age, appearance, mental-state and all..." _the demon laughed,_ "what can I say? We wanted more of your chaos. You're quite popular among us."_

Henry said nothing.  
He didn't quite know how to respond to this bit of news.

Again, the demon laughed, finding it funny that someone like Henry could be reduced to silence.  
_"Oh come now..." _and as those words were spoken, the eyes came closer, now standing over Henry, but there was no visible body... just the creepy floating red eyes, _"I'll cut right to the chase. I'm here to offer you a bit of assistance_. _Wouldn't you like to be rid of that meddlesome angel that's hanging around Jen?"_

This time, Henry perked up, eager to find out how,  
"So_ there's a way, huh? To kill him?"_

_"I can give you instructions on how to send him here to this dimension. We'd love to get our claws on him too... and TORTURE."_

Henry got back up to his feet, no longer trembling like he had been, and staring back now that he was eye-level with the demon.  
_"I'll do it. Tell me."_

_"THAT'S OUR BOY!" _the demon laughed once more, _"Once you wake from here, you will find some black seeds next to you on the ground. Take them to that secret well of yours, along with the heart of a deer. FRESH. Kill the animal yourself and carve it out. Drop the seeds in first, then the bloody heart, and chant these words five times: __**Inknam Sema Upton Ruu **__... followed by this phrase three times: __**Dagrum Incene**__. After that, the angel will no longer be in your way... Hahahaaaaa!" _

Henry nodded, smiling.

_"Now... get to it."  
_And as soon as the demon spoke those words, Henry's eyes opened and he was fully awake.

Looking down at the ground, Henry spotted those black seeds mentioned near his feet and grinned,  
_"Time to work some magic."_


	21. This Is The Day

Henry would waste no time getting started. He scooped up the seeds, put them in his pocket, and headed into a nearby forest in search of a deer. Grinning, he was ready for this part. Though it would not be Mark or Jen or Connie, it'd still feel great to spill some blood. It was _**so**_ overdue. He _**needed**_ this.  
Making sure to be careful about his steps, he managed to avoid any branches and crunchy leaves that were in his path.  
It would suck if he were to alarm any deer that may be close by.

_'Turn around...'  
_That demon voice had spoken again, but only in his head. And when Henry followed the instruction, there, just a couple feet away, lay a baby deer. It was alive and seemed to be struggling to get back up on its tiny legs. Just a foot away from it, was a pocket knife. And when Henry spotted this, he smirked,_ "Thanks."_

Killing again was going to feel so great, even if it was just an animal.  
Henry was certainly no stranger to that.

As he knelt down to get a closer look, it was obvious that this fawn was injured.  
_"Oh... why you poor little thing..." _Henry spoke softly, but it was obvious sarcasm as he smirked. This was a fun sight to him and he began to circle around the animal, as if studying it carefully and pondering the best way to end it. _"Does it hurt, Mark" _He spoke again, now picturing this fawn as Mark writhing in pain at his feet. _"Good. I told you not to fuck with me. Stubborn Cuz."_

Henry stopped and knelt again, down at the fawn's back and actually leaned in now to whisper at its ear, _"I'll take good care of Jen, don't you worry..." _And with that, he plunged the blade deep into its back. It responded with a slight cry and soon quit struggling.

Richard's ghost appeared again, but it was as if Henry could neither see nor hear him.  
Henry's eyes were fixated on the dead fawn as he began to carve out the heart.  
Richard stepped closer to his brother, making sure he was clearly in sight but still... nothing.  
Henry never acknowledged him.

Blood poured out over Henry's hands, and as he dug them into the corpse, there was a new look in his eyes.  
Joy, interest, sheer pleasure and ecstasy.

As he held the heart now, he smiled.  
This was the scariest one yet. It was sadistic.  
_"This. This is what I need to do to Mark."_

Richard looked on, now horrified.

Henry still paid him no attention.  
He just held the fawn's heart carefully in his hands and walked off, headed for his well to complete the spell.

It was time. That angel had to go.

**XXXXX**

The bedroom was silent for a few moments until Castiel nodded and spoke up, _"I'll need you to lie back, Jennifer."_

_"Is this going to hurt her?"_ Connie asked, concern in her tone.  
And Jen looked to Castiel curiously as well. She had wondered herself, but didn't want to ask.

The angel seemed to pause and think for a moment before answering, _"I've never done this before, but it is a delicate process. I can't promise that there won't be pain. There may be some discomfort."_

Jen nodded and took a deep breath as she waited.  
Mark walked to her side and took hold of her hand, _"Jen, are you sure?"_  
She only nodded again.

_"If we're ready to get started, I'll need you to step back Mark."_

_"Be as gentle as possible." _Mark told him before rejoining Connie on the other side of the room.

_"Of course." _Castiel responded, _"Also, Jen, this will likely leave you feeling drained. It's a life force being removed from you, after all."_

Again, she nodded as her eyes closed,_ "I understand. I'm ready..."_

_"I'll do my best to combat whatever pain you may feel..." _Castiel assured her as he had now held one hand up and over her stomach, palm down.

At first, Jen could feel a touch of warmth go through her belly. It was as if someone had placed a heating pad on her or something.  
Then, a twinge, which made her already closed eyes shut even tighter

Mark had took a step toward them again, worried, but Connie reached out and took hold of his hand to stop him. She shook her head as Mark now looked back at her. _"Trust him" _She whispered to her cousin.

**XXXXX**

Henry was halfway to his secret well now. Richard followed, not too far behind.  
He still went unnoticed. He was losing now and wasn't sure what to do.

Henry's mind went over ways to deal with the three once that angel was removed.  
He'd fantasize about slicing Mark open and removing his heart, just like he'd done not long ago with that fawn. As for Jen, raping her again came to mind. Why not have that bit of fun once more before ending it for good? And Connie would pose no challenge to him. In fact, he'd probably off her first. get the easiest part out of the way. Sure, she had survived the fire... but he wasn't around. She'd not escape death so easily the next time with him there, he'd make sure of it.

**XXXXX**

Castiel's free hand now gently held on to Jen's as she had begun to show signs of being in pain.  
Her occasional whimpers were like knives stabbing at Mark. He wanted to be over there to stop it, but Connie had to remind him again that this is what Jen wanted. Connie was a bit teary-eyed herself, obviously affected too.

Suddenly there was discomfort in the angel's head. Something was going down, he could sense it...but it would not interfere. He refused to let it. he needed to get this done for Jen.

His discomfort was growing though, because it was at this moment that Henry was finishing up with the instructions from that demon. He was now chanting over the well at the exact moment Castiel was almost done completing this removal.

Jen's eyes shot open. She could feel something wrong too. This power that Castiel was using gave her a brief sense of what her angel was going through, _"Castiel... something's happening..." _she whispered.  
He nodded.

Quietly, he had now finished and immediately collapsed to the floor, coughing up blood.

_"Castiel! What's happening?!" _Jen cried out, but she was too weak to even roll over and look down at him.

Mark and Connie rushed to his side to assist but it was no use. It was as if some invisible force had him pinned to the floor.  
Too Strong.  
And then, the angel began to shake as if he was experiencing a seizure.

_"Hey! Hey! Talk to me! What's going on?!" _Mark yelled, still trying to pick him up off of the floor.  
But then... *POOF* .. Castiel vanished.

Connie gasped and her and Mark stared at one another in shocked silence.

**XXXXX**

Once the ritual was complete, Henry grinned.  
He had a sense that it was successful, _"Thank you so SO much, demon... I'll take care of the rest. Watch, and enjoy the show..."_


	22. Disaster

_"Mark. Connie. What happened?!"  
_Jen called out, confused and worried.

Mark stood at Jen's side now, taking hold of her hand, but Connie spoke up and answered before he could:  
_"Castiel vanished, and it seemed like something was hurting him."_

_"I __**knew **__I felt something strange." _Jen replied.

_"What do you mean?" _Mark wondered.

_"I don't know exactly, but as he was using his power on me, I sensed something was going after him. Wait a sec...! It's all __**MY **__fault! What if this was some form of punishment for what he just did?"_

Mark shook his head, _"No. Don't blame yourself, Jen. It's not your fault. We'll figure this out, you just focus on resting up okay? We'll get him back somehow."  
_Connie grabbed Mark's arm suddenly and started pulling him along out the door, _"Excuse us Jen, sorry."_

Once out of the bedroom, Connie pulled the door shut behind them and spoke in a low tone, not wanting Jen to overhear and get upset, _"Mark, what are we going to do? Our best chance at beating Henry is gone."_

Mark frowned back at his cousin, feeling a bit insulted now,  
_"Oh, thank you, Connie. I'm glad you have such faith in me."_

_"No, no..." _Connie sighed, _"it's just... you know what I mean. Castiel had special powers."_

Before Mark could respond again, the door opened and Jen cut into the conversation.  
She had obviously been eavesdropping, _"Connie's right, Mark. Castiel had an advantage over Henry. He saved my life back at the club."_

_"Jen, what are you doing? You're supposed to be resting-"  
_Mark began, but Jen cut him off:  
_"It's strange. I feel amazing."_

_"But you're supposed to be resting. Castiel told us it was going to leave you drained."  
_He added. Jen just shrugged. She wasn't sure how to explain it, but she felt rested and strong.  
Had Castiel done something different?

_"Well, it's great that you feel recovered, but we should probably still be careful and keep a good eye on you. Just in case."  
_Connie told her with a smile.

_"Yes." _Mark nodded in agreement.

_"I know. I understand." _Jen nodded as she now brushed past them and seemed to wander around aimlessly.  
Something **was **different. She could feel it. But what?

Mark followed her curiously as she began to circle the living room.  
She wasn't saying a word either, which now had him concerned,  
_"Jen? What are you doing?"_

She spun around to face him, but did not answer the question,  
_"Where's the nearest church?"_

_"Um, there's one about eight miles south from here. Why do you ask?"_

_"I have to try to fix things. This **is** my fault. I'm sure that whatever hurt Castiel and took him away was a result of my decision. I have to go pray. I have to try to apologize. He didn't deserve to be punished because of me..." _Jen explained, full of guilt.

_"Jen, listen... it's **NOT **your-" _Mark began, but she then cut him off:  
_"It'd make me feel better."_

He sighed in defeat, _"Okay. If it helps you to feel better, we'll go tomorrow."_

Jen nodded, silent.  
But tomorrow wouldn't be good enough for her.  
She'd have to make her own plans. Mark just didn't understand.

At around midnight that night, Jen peeked out from her bedroom door.  
The house was dark and quiet since everyone had gone to bed just an hour before. Mark was asleep on the couch because he had been letting Connie use his room. Jen crept past him, watching him the entire time and hoped to not wake him up. When she reached the front door, she carefully grabbed the truck keys that were hanging up on a nail in the wall. Before leaving, she whispered, _"I'm sorry"._

Jen's guilt over Castiel was eating her up.  
She had to do this **alone. **It had been her decision **alone**, after all.  
And stealing Mark's truck like this was, of course, not helping her feel any better about things... but she **had **to get to that church. She had to try and fix this, if it was possible.

**XXX**

It would only take about ten minutes for Jen to arrive at the church and despite it being after midnight, there appeared to be some lights on inside, bot no cars around. There wasn't even a parking lot, so she pulled off of the road to park in the grass and walk. On her way to the entrance, Jen paused when she heard a twig-snapping sound in the distance, but as she looked all around her, there was nothing. Feeling a bit spooked, she rushed in now.

Henry was watching from afar, grinning.  
_"Well, this ought to be fun."  
_It had been his initial plan to deal with Connie first, but he'd take what he could get.  
He approached the entrance, but stopped a few feet away as he remembered the last time he stepped foot in one of these places:

**_Flashback:_** It was on a Sunday, the week of his upcoming death at the age of 12. Him and his parents came together, minus Connie and Mark. Connie was still in the hospital recovering from the attempted murder, and Mark had refused to join them, so Wallace and Susan sent him to see Alice Davenport again. Henry became pretty physically ill from the moment they entered the church. He tried to brush it off and ignore it, which worked a little bit at first but as time went on, he could no longer fight. Susan glanced over at her son ten minutes into the service and noticed his face was almost ghost-white. _"Henry?" _Susan whispered, _"Are you feeling alright?"_. She then elbowed Wallace lightly to get his attention, _"Hun, I think Henry's sick." _Henry looked up at them and shook his head, giving a small sweet smile, _"I'll be okay, Mom and Dad, just need to run to the restroom real quick. Don't worry." _ He stood and excused himself, leaving as calmly as possible until he was out of sight. Once his parents could no longer see him, he bolted toward the restroom and immediately collapsed in from of a toilet and let it all out. It was honestly the hardest he'd ever remembered puking in his life. He'd also sat there shaking for at least ten minutes afterwards. **_End flashback._**

Henry stared at the entrance, eyes narrowed. He certainly wasn't going to risk dealing with that shit again. Luckily, he'd brought reinforcements, and as he walked around to the side of the building now, one of his hands went into a pocket.

Inside, Jen had taken a seat in the first pew and closed her eyes as she brought her hands together in prayer, _"Dear God, I pray for your forgiveness for my recent decision. And please forgive Castiel. He doesn't deserve to be punished. Punish ME, not him. Please. Don't punish him for my choice..."_

Then suddenly, a voice shouted from outside and Jen's eyes shot open as she recognized it to be Henry.  
_"GRENADE!"_ he had shouted. And five seconds later, one came crashing through a beautiful stained glass window that had depicted a guardian angel, landing just a few feet away from where Jen sat. _"Shit!" _She gasped and ran for the back exit as fast as she could. She had almost made it out, but it wasn't quick enough. The grenade exploded after four seconds and brought most of the church crashing down around AND on top of her. She survived, but was pinned down by pieces of the ceiling that had fallen on her back, and both of her legs now felt broken. Jen was trapped, helpless.

Once the smoke cleared a bit and the debris was finished falling, Henry entered what was left of the building and found Jen not too far away, _"Oooh, that's gotta hurt." _He taunted.

_"You..son of..a bitch." _Jen spat, her voice full of hatred and agonizing pain.

Henry just smirked and began pulling the church pieces off of her quietly.

_"What are you doing...?" _She asked.

No answer.

Once he was done, he placed a foot under her at the abdomen and pushed her over onto her back.  
Jen winced and a small whimper escaped her lips.

Henry then crouched down until her was on top of her, now straddling her at the waist, _"This was just as easy as taking care of the precious angel."  
_Her eyes widened. So it was **HIM**!  
And she responded by swinging a fist up toward his face, but he quickly caught her by the wrist and wrapped his free hand around her throat, _"Now, now... that's not nice, darling."_

Jen gasped as his grip tightened and began to cut her air supply. Panic set in and she started trying to squirm despite her broken legs. Her free hand clawed at his arm and tried to pull his hand off her throat, but it was useless as she began to get weaker.

Henry leaned in, his face just inches from hers, staring into her terrified eyes,  
_"What a beautiful thing... life slipping away... draining."_

Her fight weakened even more and he smirked,  
_"Say hello to my parents for me."_

Everything then went dark for Jen, her arms going limp as her eyes closed.  
Her body now lay lifeless.  
He won.

For a moment after he let go, Henry remained on top of Jen and stared. He felt so high and smiled in pleasure.  
**Finally**, another life taken by his own two hands.  
After getting back up on his feet, he contemplated what to do with the body. Dump it in a lake? Ditch it deep in the woods for wild animals to feed? Both were tempting, but wait - an even **better** idea - he'd leave her by the road. Surely Mark and Connie would be out in search of her. What a **great **way to torture them.

Henry laughed as he lifted Jen by the arms and drug her away from the demolished church and toward the road.  
Once there, he didn't just drop her, he **threw **her down at the edge and grinned as he marched off - victorious. And whistling in delight.


	23. Richard

_"Wake up. Get to Jen."_

It was a voice that Mark had never heard before, and it whispered into his ear. As soon as he heard this, his eyes shot open and he jumped off of the couch, making a dash for Jen's room, but when he opened the door, he noticed her bed was empty. He then glanced to the bathroom, but it was dark and empty as well. Mark was now in full-panic mode as he went over to look out the living room window. The truck was gone!

_"Shit! Connie, wake up!"  
_Mark dashed to the bedroom door, yelling, _"Connie! Connie, get up!"_

Frightened, Connie jumped out of bed and opened the door within five seconds, _"What? What's happening?!"_

_"Jen's gone, and so is the truck!"_

_"Wha-?!" _She began, rubbing her eyes tiredly as Mark spoke up again:  
_"I heard a boys voice. It told me to go to her, but she's gone!"_

The voice that had spoken was Richard, but Mark wouldn't know this, of course.

Mark now rushed for the front door, Connie not far behind him, _  
"Wait! Where are you going? We don't have the truck!"_

_"I'm going to the church. Jen was asking about it. She's got to be there. You stay here, Connie, in case she shows up, okay?"_

Mark was immediately out the door and running before he even gave her the chance to respond.

**XXXXX**

Light as a feather.  
Maybe even lighter than that.  
Could this be...?

Jen "woke" in an empty room that was illuminated by a beautiful, shimmering silver color and in the distance, she could see a tall gate across a doorway. Was this... the gateway to heaven? She sighed as she came to the realization that she was dead, _"Oh Mark, I'm so sorry."_

Taking in a deep breath, Jen took a couple steps forward in the direction of the gate but then -**POOF- **..it vanished.  
_"What the...- WAIT!"_

Had she missed her chance to get into heaven? What was to happen to her now?

The voice of a boy then spoke up from behind her, _"It's not your time to go, Jen."_

When Jen spun around to look at who was there, her jaw dropped.  
There was no question who this boy, who stood about a foot shorter than her, was.  
The resemblance to Henry was strong and obvious.

_"You're him, aren't you? You're..."_

_"Richard. Richard Evans." _He finished for her.

_"Richard. Oh wow..."_

_"There's not a whole lot of time, Jen. I'm just here to let you in on what your angel, Castiel, did..."_

But Jen shook her head, interrupting him, _"I know what he did, Richard."_

_"You don't know it all," _He told her, shaking his head as well, _"but you need to. Having this information will help you defeat Henry."_

She nodded, _"Tell me."_

_"When Castiel was helping you, demons were hurting him and took him away. They'd given Henry a spell to get rid of him, and Castiel could feel how much trouble he was in, so he transferred some of his angel power over to you. That's why you recovered so quickly. Castiel wanted you to be able to take care of yourself in his absence. You just need to awaken these powers. Now, listen carefully..."_

Jen's eyes had widened at this news, but she listened intently.

_"Mark's about to find your body, and you'll be back with him soon. When you wake up, focus and place a hand or two on your legs. Focus hard. You'll be able to heal."  
_Richard's image began to fade, but Jen called out and he paused before disappearing completely, _"Wait! Before you go... can you tell me if there's any way to save Castiel?"_

_"That I can't tell you. I don't know. I'm sorry..."  
_And with that, Richard was gone.

**XXXXX**

Mark ran the entire eight miles until he finally arrived at what was left of the church, looking on in horror as he tried to catch his breath, _"What in the-?"_

Pause.  
A body laying at the side of the road.

_"No. No!" _He ran again and knelt down by her side, eyes widened in terror once he realized it was her, _"Jen! No ..no.. oh my god..."  
_He tried to feel for a pulse, but could find none. _"No, no, no... NO! Henry's **not **winning. I won't allow it."_

Despite still feeling a bit out of breath, he tilted Jen's head back slightly and leaned in to begin CPR on her.  
However, as soon as his mouth was just inches from hers, she let out LOUD gasp and her eyes shot open.  
Mark fell back, startled.

Breathing heavily, Jen just lie there at first, staring up at the night sky. Mark fixed himself back into a kneeling position at her side, _"Take it easy, you're okay. Thank god. It's a miracle." _He smiled and started to try to help her sit up, but Jen just shook her head as she remembered what Richard had told her to do, "_Give me a minute."_

There really was no pain in her legs, just numbness and an inability to move them.

Jen took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and placed a hand on each of her thighs. Focusing as intensely as she could, she began to feel a wave of warmth flow from each palm and into her legs, traveling all the way down them. It was working! And she smiled once she realized they had healed and she could now move again, _"Okay. I'm good now."_

_"What happened here, Jen?" _Mark wondered as he now helped her sit up and then get to her feet.

_"Henry. I was inside praying for forgiveness in hopes to get Castiel back, then he threw a grenade through a window and I couldn't escape in time. I survived but got pinned under the rubble and he strangled me. I'm so sorry for taking off in your truck, Mark, really sorry..."_

_"Hey, don't stress over that now, I'm just glad to have you back."_

_"What happened to Castiel is Henry's fault. Richard just told me that demons gave Hen-" _Jen had begun to explain, but Mark interrupted in shock: _"You saw Richard?" _and she nodded. _"He said he was there to give me some information that will help us beat Henry, but unfortunately, he didn't know how we can get Castiel back. Demons gave Henry a spell to get rid of him."_

_"We'll figure out a way, don't worry..." _Mark assured her as he accompanied her back to his truck and Jen handed him his keys, _"..what's this information that Richard told you about defeating Henry?"_

_"Well..." _She began as he started up the truck and drove them back. During the trip, she explained how she now had some of Castiel's angel power and mentioned being able to heal her two broken legs, but that she will still need to practice with this ability in order to find out what all she's capable of. _"This is **GREAT**. We'll definitely give him what he deserves now." _Mark smiled eagerly.

**XXXXX**

Back at Mark's cabin, Connie sat on the couch waiting either for Mark to return or Jen to turn up. She was still pretty exhausted and ended up falling back to sleep, but only for a few minutes, because now a strange voice spoke into her ear and made her jump awake: _"Don't be afraid, sis." _Her heart was pounding now, as she expected to see Henry standing over her or something, but as she scanned the room she didn't see anyone. She even got up and searched the entire place. No one.  
_"What in the world..."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Author's Note: **_I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I admit it was a little rushed toward the end because I just NOW finished it in order to meet my goal of having it up TODAY. I'm actually not fond of it, but meh. Life's been crazy lately, and I'm struggling to stay afloat by accepting all these extra work hours. Sometimes I only get one day a week off, which has affected my ability to work on this fic. I'm doing what I can though, so thanks for sticking with me. I'm leaving town for the weekend, so hopefully that will refresh me. All reviews welcome, as well as suggestions. Thanks! :)_


	24. Bargaining

A brief flash of orange almost blinded Connie as she stood in the living room contemplating what had just occured.

Mark had just pulled the truck into the driveway and was looking toward the window when it happened. He immediately got out and rushed inside, Jen close behind him. _"Connie! Are you okay? What the hell was that?!"_

Connie stood silent, shivering in fear a bit.  
This was too much for her.

_"Hey, hey, talk to me Connie. What just happened?"_

Jen closed and locked the door behind them as Mark went over to tend to his cousin, who was now looking pretty spooked.

Seeing that he was not going to get a response, he guided Connie toward the back door, _"Come on, let's get you some fresh air."_

Jen waited inside, figuring it was best to let Mark try to help Connie at the moment. Once she took a seat on the couch, Mark's cell phone, which he had left on the coffee table in front of her, began to ring. She stared at it for the first three rings, debating on whether or not to take it out to them. _'No...' _Jen told herself, '_I'd better give them some peace. Connie needs him right now.' _Instead, she grabbed it up to read the ID: **Unavailable. **_"Hmm."_ Perhaps it couldn't do any harm to at least take a message, so Jen then hit the answer button and placed it to her ear, _"Mark's phone, Jen speaking."  
_Silence.  
_"Hello?" _Jen spoke again, but more silence followed until there was a click.  
The person on the other end had hung up.

**XXXXX**

Henry slid his cell phone into a back pocket and stared off into space, a mixed expression of confusion and annoyance on his face.  
How was it possible that Jen was alive? He had made damn sure she was dead.

_"I guess I'll have to try harder next time. NOBODY makes me look like a failure. Nobody."_

Over the last few days, Henry had come across an old abandoned building on a dead side of town. It looked like it had maybe once been used as a storage warehouse or a factory, judging by the size. Whatever it had been, it was now serving as his new, temporary home. As he took a seat in the darkest corner of the spacious main room, he began to scroll through some local news sites on his phone when he came across one that quickly caught his attention. _"Oh wow, what an awesome coincidence. I know Mark is going to blame me for this, and I LOVE it. I'm going to thoroughly enjoy playing with their minds. Again."_

While reading over the entire news article, a demon voice broke the silence,  
_"Oh, Henry, we also have a juicy tidbit of information we're dying to tell you. Make us proud..."_

Henry looked up from his phone, staring curiously into the two red eyes glowing directly in front of him_,  
"I'm listening."_

**XXXXX**

Thinking nothing of the odd, silent phone call, Jen flipped the television on as she waited for Mark and Connie to come back inside. However, her focus would not be on the program currently airing - which was an old black and white Twilight Zone episode. Staring at a box of tissues sitting on a corner of the coffee table in front of her, she raised her left hand slowly, which caused the box to levitate. Jen couldn't help but chuckle and lowered her hand again, which set the box back down.

After about five more minutes, Mark escorted Connie back inside and Jen sat up, looking to her with concern,  
_"Are you doing alright, Connie?"_

The question was only met with a nod of the head, so Mark spoke up, _"I explained everything to Connie and when I told her about Richard, she mentioned a little experience she had right before we got here. He may have contacted her too."_

_"Really? What happened?" _Jen wondered curiously as she made room for them to sit down with her on the couch.  
Connie was still in a bit of shock, but had calmed down for the most part and spoke softly, _"I heard a 'Don't be afraid, sis'. Even though it didn't sound much like Henry, I still literally jumped up, expecting to see him standing nearby. This is all so strange."_

_"What was that flash of orange light, though?" _Jen asked.

Connie just shrugged.

_"I think we should all be extra careful, in case it was a sign of some kind." _Mark told them.

_"Oh, Mark, while you two were outside, your phone rang and I answered it even though it said 'Unavailable'..." _Jen began to tell him, but Mark quickly interrupted upon hearing this: _"Henry's been calling from 'Unavailable', Jen, why didn't you bring it out to me?"_

_"I'm sorry. I didn't want to bother you guys. I know Connie needed you at that moment."_

_"What happened? What did he say this time?"_

_"Well, there was no response when I answered. It was silent and then they just hung up."_

_"Huh. That might be good then, because I think if it were Henry, he'd have something to say."_

Connie and Jen both nodded in agreement.

All of a sudden, the Twilight Zone episode that was playing was interrupted by one of those breaking news bulletins and Mark grabbed the remote control to turn up the volume.

**Male News Reporter: **_"Breaking news just in on WXKN, we go live to Julie Patterson, who's on the scene of a Jeep CJ-7 that was discovered abandoned on a back road just off of Manor Lane. Julie?"  
_**Julie Patterson: **_"Thanks, Allen. Police tell us that earlier this evening, a passerby phoned them after discovering this vehicle on the side of the road with its door open and no one inside..."_

Mark's eyes widened in horror as there was now a clearer shot of the jeep onscreen,  
_"That-That's my Dad's jeep!"_

**Julie Patterson: **_"We've learned that the owner is 54 year old Jack Evans, but so far no one has come forward with information_ _on what happened. Police will be continuing their investigation and we will update you once the clues start coming in."_

Connie's eyes began to well-up with tears, _"Oh my god. Uncle Jack."_

_"MotherFUCKER!" _Mark raged, startling the girls a bit. _"HENRY. Henry is behind this! I'll kill him!"_

A gentle hand now rested on Mark's shoulder and he could feel himself calming. A soothing wave of peace seemed to be flowing through him. He looked at Jen, who stared back with reassurance in her eyes. Nothing needed to be said. Mark couldn't help but smile at her. She really **was **full of magic.

_***RING*  
**_There went Mark's cell again and when he grabbed it, he noticed the 'Unavailble' caller ID.  
_"Stay here, I'm going to take this in my room."_

Once Mark entered his room, he pushed the door closed behind him but it didn't go all the way and remained open in a crack.  
After taking a deep breath first, he finally pressed the answer button, _"What?!"  
_He knew exactly who it was, so no need to answer normally.

_"Marky-Mark, what's shakin'?"_

_"Where's my Dad, Henry?!"_

_"Uncle Jack? Hmm, that's an excellent question. Would you care to take a guess?"_

_"I swear to god, if you've done something to him..."_

_"I'm willing to make a deal with you, Marky. I won't hurt Uncle Jack, as long as you agree to my terms."_

_"What terms?!" _Mark growled.

_"I want Jen. Alone. Send her to 4171 North Bailor Street. Or else."_

_"You really think I'm just going to send her off to you? No fucking way!"_

_"Let me make this clearer for you, Mark. Either send Jen, ALONE, to the address I just gave you... or say goodbye to Daddy. And you know I'm not playing. Deal?"_

Mark gritted his teeth, doing his best to hold back from flying into a rage and screaming, _"Don't you fucking DARE hurt my Dad."_

_"It's simple really. Just send her off in your car and I'll let her give him the keys so he can come home to you. Now, I'm not asking again after this. Do we have a deal?!"_

Jen spoke up from outside the doorway, after having overheard that Mark's father was involved, _"I'll go."_

_"Ah, good girl. You have ONE hour." _Henry grinned and hung up the phone.

Mark screamed in frustration and threw his phone onto his bed before turning to face Jen, who had now opened the door all the way,  
_"Jen, please. I can't let you go to him."_

_"Mark, are you forgetting I have these angel powers? I can do this. let me save your father."_

_"But I-I just..." _Mark began, stuttering in confusion. He put both hands to his head, gripping hair in each fist, _"GOD DAMN IT!"_

Jen jumped back as Mark then slammed a foot into the side of his bed and grabbed the lamp to fling it across the room.

_"Hey, hey. Relax. Please..." _Jen told him, making her voice as smooth and soothing as possible, in hopes to help him calm down, _"Where does he want me to go? I can do this."_

_"Jen..." _Mark started to protest again, but she shook her head.

_"Please have faith in me, Mark. Give me the address."_

Mark sighed, _"4171 North Bailor Street"_

Jen nodded and started to head for the front door when Mark stopped her by taking hold of her arm.  
She paused to look back at him.

_"Despite the powers you have, PLEASE be careful. You can never know what you're getting into when it comes to Henry. Please, PLEASE, promise me you'll watch out."_

_"I know, Mark. I promise."_


	25. Henry's Song (part 1)

It was about a fifteen minute drive before Jen arrived at the address Henry had given.  
After putting the truck in park, she just sat there at first, trying to examine her surroundings but it was just too dark and quiet. There wasn't even a single working street light. The only light at the moment came from the headlights and Jen considered leaving them on, but no, it'd be best to not risk Mark's truck getting stolen by some other lunatic that could be lurking nearby (besides Henry).

After taking a deep breath to try and help calm her nerves, Jen cut the engine off and got out.  
Moonlight did offer some visual assistance, but just barely.

While keeping an ear out, she couldn't help but shiver, but not from cold. The temperature was a comfortable 65 degrees after all. No, it was from the silence. Dead silence. This abandoned part of town was **_NOT _**a place you wanted to be at four o'clock in the morning.

As Jen found the entrance and entered, she remained quiet.

Pitch-black.

After a few more steps inside, Jen paused when Henry finally spoke up, but in a very creepy sing-song,  
_"Body in the dissssstance, bleeding out so pure... come dance with me on willows, and watch the weeping lure..."_

Jen could feel her heart beginning to race and wished she could see. His voice had a slight echo throughout the room, making it difficult to determine his location at the moment, and then, his eerie singing continued... _"I hear you taste a'plenty, laying on death's door..."_

_"Okay, Henry, enough!" _Jen shouted, her own voice also echoing.

_"...so cry, and scream, and struggle... my makeshift little whore."  
_His singing finally ended, and Jen desperately tried to see **anything**.

_"Welcome, lovely."_

_"Okay Henry, I'm here. Now, keep your end of this deal and let Mark's father go."_ She felt a bit shook-up, but still managed to keep anxiety out of her tone when she spoke. He was going to pull something. She just knew it. But what?

_"If only I knew where he was."  
_His response sounded sincere, but Jen wasn't buying it and she shook her head,  
_"No. No games, Henry. Let him go!"_

_"Oh, trust me," _He laughed, _"I'm not playing this time, dear, I really **don't** know where my Uncle Jack is... but it's awfully convenient, don't you think? I **love** that he's missing. It was a perfect way to get you here."_

_"You're lying."_

Henry shrugged his shoulders, which would remain unseen of course.

**XXXXX**

Mark paced around the living room, saying nothing, even though it was obvious he wanted to speak up. He looked conflicted and confused. Connie was seated on the couch and had been watching him the entire time, _"Mark, have a seat already or something. You're starting to make me dizzy."_

_"I'm a fool, Connie. I'm such a fucking fool. I shouldn't have let her go alone! What the hell was I thinking?"_

_"You agreed to have faith in her. Remember, Jen has the angel powers now. Henry's sure to be no match for that. Please, sit down!"_

_"I hope you're right."_

**XXXXX**

_"So, my darling Jen, I think you and I should have a nice, long chat. Let me start off with a true story... Er... confession, if you will."_

Jen remained silent, but still kept a careful ear on her surroundings. For now, Henry didn't sound like he was close-by.

_"Do you remember that Halloween when you asked me about the stain on the living room carpet, and I told you I had just mixed up some fake blood for a costume and accidentally spilled it?"_

Jen felt a bit confused and wondered where he could be going with this, _"And I said it was an awfully big stain for just a spill. You told me because it was a bucket..."_

Henry laughed, _"Right. And you believed me too. Old gullible Jen. Want the truth?"_

Panic set in now.  
It was pretty easy to guess what he was about to tell her and she gave no response, which only made him laugh again, _"Well, do you remember that crazy old homeless woman? What was her name - Ernestine-something, I believe?"_

_"Ernestine Petty. Y-You killed Ernestine Petty?"_

_"Didn't you ever wonder why we never saw her again after Halloween?"_

Jen's stomach twisted and she was now on the verge of sobbing.  
Henry had killed someone, in their own home, and she never knew.

_"I-I guess I just figured, and hoped, that maybe she'd gotten some help... or found a shelter."_

_"Now, now. Don't cry. It's obvious I did the bitch a favor. No one would come for her. No one cared. She was pathetic."_

_"You don't take someone's life and call it doing them a favor!" _Jen shouted, half crying and half angry.

The mixture of emotions swirling around inside of her - shock, anger, panic, distress, and disgust - they were almost too much to bear and her already twisted stomach felt knotted-up even more. She raised a hand to cover her mouth as a sudden wave of nausea hit, causing her to gag. Luckily, that was all.  
Laughter from Henry echoed in the darkness around her.

Jen took a deep, shaky breath when the feeling began to fade and she shook her head, speaking up again, but faintly, "_Why?"_

_"Why? Because I can. And because you DO NOT fuck with Henry Evans."_

_"What are you talking about? What could she have ever done to you?!"_

_"Screaming obscenities and threats. A big no-no. I don't know who the fuck she thought she was, but I took care of it. Thanks for cleaning that up, by the way." _If not for the dark, Jen would have seen an amused and sinister grin on Henry's lips.

_"Oh god..."  
_Jen flashed into the memory again. Henry was right. She had told him not to worry about the mess and offered to clean it herself. It had been a very difficult task, but she thought nothing of it because she'd heard fake blood was a pain to wash out.

_"You know, that almost makes you an accomplice. How's it feel, Jen?"_

_"Well I'm **NOT.** I had no knowledge of your crime, you sick fuck! Tell me something... what about Richard? What could your innocent little have done that was so terrible?!"_

Henry gave her an unseen smirk, _"Quite interesting of you to ask, since I'm about to make **YOU** pay for the same reason."_

Jen's anxiety flew through the roof and she took a step backward, despite not knowing exactly where he was, _"What do you mean by that?"_

_"Little Richie stole something of mine. And you DO NOT take what belongs to me."_

_"I didn't take anything from you!" _Jen argued, appalled that he would kill his baby brother over such a thing.

_"No? Oh. Wait. I guess I should rephrase that. Destroyed. Is that better? You **DESTROYED **something of mine, which honestly, is much worse."_

_"i don't know what you're talking about, Henry! I didn't take or destroy anything of yours."_

_"Oh no?"_

_"No!"_

_"I know that you were pregnant."_

Jen stood in stunned silence, flabbergasted. How in the world? And as if Henry could read her mind, he answered, _"A little demon told me. Part of the same demons torturing that precious angel of yours. And you... well... I'm taking matters into my own hands."_

_"Henry..." _Jen spoke up finally, _"...it's not like that was an easy, sudden decision. I'm not so heartless, even though you raped me." _She knew this attempt to reason with him would be unsuccessful, but she had to give it a shot anyway, _"It was **extremely **hard, and even now it still bothers me. It took me a lot of time to consi-"_

_"Save the speech, Jen," _Henry interrupted, _"it's not going to help you."_

_"It's not even something you would have wanted."_

_"Doesn't matter. Point is... it was MINE."_

At the sound of feet shuffling, Jen braced herself. Henry circled her now, but still from a distance. For at least three minutes, neither one of them spoke. Jen remained still, standing her ground and trying to listen for how close he was. And suddenly, another sing-song. More lyrics that sent chills down Jen's spine: _"Bleed out, bleed out... you're numb at my feet... newly divided... honey-suckle treat."_

_"You've seriously lost your mind." _Jen whispered, her heart now racing in fear.  
This new behavior of Henry's was quite terrifying.

The sound of shoes shuffling occurred once more before everything went silent again... and then, for a split second, Jen could tell someone was standing right next to her. Before she had the chance to react, a fist slammed into her cheek with enough force to knock her off of her feet. Immediately upon hitting the ground, Henry threw himself on top of her, rolling her over onto her back as he attempted to strangle her once more.

_"You don't EVER destroy something of mine and get away with it! EVER! This time I'll make sure you stay dead!"_

It was now or never. Jen extended an arm out from under Henry and, with the flick of her wrist, he went flying off of her. The sound of a **THUD **soon followed and confirmed that he had hit a wall on the other side of the room. She then scrambled back up to her feet and rushed toward the door, but froze at a sudden noise which came from the direction Henry had landed.

Keys jingling.

_"You won't get far, darling."_

Jen felt her pockets. They were empty.  
Henry had managed to steal the truck keys from her.

**Author's Note: **The first song that Henry sings was inspired by "O Willow Waly" by Isla Cameron. It's a song I find really creepy, but still cool. If you haven't heard it, search Youtube and give it a listen. My original plan was to have Henry sing "O Willow Waly", but I decided to write my own creepy little tune and Henry sings it in a similar manner. Also, apologies for the almost 4-month delay! I will be working on part 2 and hopefully it will not take as long as this chapter did. Please leave me a review and give your honest thoughts on this chapter. I did my best :) Thanks for reading!


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